Solemnly Swear
by Death's Inevitable Kiss
Summary: Transfan didn't even begin to cover Noah's love for Transformers. In Lyra's opinion, it was borderline obsessive, but he was her little brother, so she didn't mind. Thanks to a stupid birthday promise, they find themselves stuck in the fandom for Primus knows what. Add in a mild separation, some excruciating injuries, and bizarre dreams, and Lyra's living in Hell. Sides/OC/Sunny
1. Prologue

**Disclaimer: I do not own Transformers. Everything recognizable belongs to someone else. All I own is Lyra and Noah Montez.**

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><p><strong>Author's Note:<strong> I know that a lot of people have done a lot of fics where a TransFan gets sucked into the fandom, but my story is a little different. I hope you enjoy it.

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><p><em><strong>Solemnly Swear<strong>_

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><p><span>Prologue<span>

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><p>"<strong>I, Lyra Montez, do solemnly swear…"<strong>

_The shrieks of a young boy filled the air of the cold night. His sandy hair was in mishap, face coated with dirt and grime. He desperately tried to wake his unconscious sister. Her brown hair was splayed around her head, a tangled mess, and her chest rose and fell in fast, shallow pants._

"_Ly! Ly, please, get up! Get up, Ly! I need you!" the boy cried, shaking the brunette's shoulders vigorously. _

**"…that, as long as I live, I…"**

_The ground shook as a large robotic sentient being advanced towards the siblings. Its red optics zeroed in on the crying boy, a sinister smirk pulling at its face plates. This was much too easy for the alien._

"_Lyra, please wake up! We need to go, so…so…so wake up! Wake up or I'll tell dad on you!" the boy whimpered._

"_Noah…?" The name was weak and barely audible above the destruction and chaos around them, but it was enough to calm the boy, Noah, if only for a second._

**"…shall do everything in my power…"**

"_Lyra! Hurry up, you have to get up!" Noah yelled, fruitlessly trying to pull his elder sister off the floor. _

"_Wha-? Wha's goin' on?" Lyra asked groggily. She blinked, trying to focus on the chaos around them._

**"…to keep you, Noah Montez, safe…"**

_Lyra's eyes landed on the robot, locking onto his red optics. Her eyes widened as she took in how close he was to them; he could cover the distance in five steps. She whipped her head around to look at the shaking form of her younger brother and finally registered what was going. _

"_You gotta run, Noah," she said, painfully pushing herself up into a sitting position. The action left her gasping for air and whimpering in pain. _

"_No! Not without you! Not without you…" Noah objected, tugging at her hand weakly._

"_I-I can't, kiddo. I hurt. You have to go without me. The Decepticons, they don't want me, they want you. That's why they took you, because you have information they want," Lyra wheezed out, removing her brother's grip from her arm and giving him a gentle push. "You're the one who knows Transformers, No', so you gotta go. Find Prime, he'll know who you are."_

"_I'm not leaving witho—"_

"_Damn it, Noah! Get out of here!" Hazel eyes flashing with anger, she shoved him away with as much strength as she could muster. He stumbled a few steps back, but didn't fall over. After all, 'all her strength' wasn't really all that much. _

**"…even if it costs me my life, and…"**

_Noah didn't want to leave, but he was still in shock from the fact that Lyra had pushed him to fight back. Instead, he stumbled away, taking the Decepticons attention with him._

"_You think you can run, fleshling?" the 'Con laughed, taking a step towards the now running boy. _

_Lyra saw this and was fueled by a new power, the motivation to protect Noah. Looking around her, she spotted nothing of use but a pile of rocks a ways away. Struggling to her feet, she painfully limped towards them wondering how, in this chaos, not a single piece of rubble had managed to land near her. _

_Bending to pick it up was the hard part. The ground shook with every step the Cybertronian took, hindering her balance far more than her injuries did. Lyra nearly toppled over with the strain of grabbing a rather large rock, but she managed to stay on her feet. Whipping around as quickly as was possible without causing too much pain to herself, she lifted her arm up, aiming for the large metal being that dared to hurt her brother. It took every ounce of energy, every fiber of her muscles, to throw it. _

_Lyra watched, holding her breath unconsciously as she collapsed to the floor. It soared in the sky for endless moments, flying towards its mark until it finally hit it. There was a dull 'clink' that seemed to resonate through the raging city as the transformer was hit on the head by a piece of broken cement. He turned slowly, as if dumbfounded, and focused his optics on the brunette._

"_Come and get me, you pile of scrap metal," Lyra whispered, not having enough energy to speak any louder. But the 'Con heard her, and he was furious. _

_Who was she to insult him? An organic bag of flesh, bones, and slimy organs? Raising his canon, he charged it up, the ominous hum sending a wave of acceptance crashing onto Lyra. She shut her eyes, tilting her head downward. The action confused the 'Con, but he didn't pay it any mind. Instead, he focused on how easy it was to kill humans, how their guts splatter everywhere. _

"_I love you, Noah," she whispered, a single tear falling as she realized that it was over; she would die in Mission City._

**"…may Primus be my witness."**

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><p><strong>Author's Note: <strong>Please review


	2. Ch1 Mothers and Sexy Corvettes

**Disclaimer: I do not own Transformers; I only own Lyra and Noah.**

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><p><strong>Author's Note: <strong>Thanks for all the reviews. They really made me smile. This chapter is the first official chapter of the story. The prologue was just a little glimpse into what the future has in store. Now, I must warn you, this chapter is pretty jumpy. There are numerous time skips, but their really small. The longest skip is like a week. In my opinion, I think it's organized pretty sloppily, but it was meant to be like that. Each scene is just supposed to help build to the ending.

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><p><strong>Edit: <strong>_9/21/12_ I changed a few details and added a bit more dialogue. The way some of the things sounded and flowed were really getting on my nerves, so I changed it a bit.

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><p><strong>Solemnly Swear<strong>

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><p><em>Chapter 1: Mothers and Sexy Corvettes<em>

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><p>As the sun slowly rose over the horizon and into the Floridian skies, the residents of a small one bedroom house started to stir. It was much too early to be up, they thought, but they didn't have much of a choice. They would each have to attend classes in less than an hour's time, and neither were looking forward to it. Especially the youngest.<p>

It was Noah's eighth birthday, and he couldn't be happier. Not just because he was turning eight, but because it was his birthday. People had to be nice to you on your birthday, after all. For that exact reason was why he was the one shaking his elder sister awake instead of the other way around.

The job was harder than he thought. Lyra was a heavy sleeper; waking her was like waking a bear in the middle of hibernation. In other words: not easy.

"Ly," Noah called quietly, nudging the brunette gently. "Lyra, it's time to wake up. C'mon, Ly, it's my birthday!"

"Five more minutes, daddy," came a muffled sound from the girl, her body curling in on itself as she subconsciously tried to ward off any and all attempts to pull her out of her mellow state.

Noah scowled, placing his hands on his hips as he examined his sister. He had to get her up so she could say happy birthday!

"Lyra! Wake up!" the sandy haired boy yelled, pulling himself onto her bed so that he could jump up and down on the worn twin mattress.

"Stop," she groaned out, burying her face deeper into her pillow. When her brother didn't stop, Lyra pulled away from the pillow and sat up. "Noah, stop!"

The boy stopped moving with a cheek splitting grin on his face. "It's my birthday!" Noah exclaimed.

"Congrats, No'. Happy birthday," she moaned, pushing her face back into the pillow. "Now sleep."

"But _Lyra_," Noah moaned. "You have to give me my present!"

Lyra, who hadn't saved up enough money to buy her brother a decent present sighed. She sat up in bed before pulling her brother into a hug and kissed every inch of his face. "We'll have a Transformers marathon tonight, 'Kay?"

"Yes!" he cheered, jumping off of the bed and running into the closet. Lyra could only look on in confusion as she waited for him. "Tada!"

"Lookin' good, bro," she said examining his Transformers t-shirt. It was black with both of the insignias from the movies. The only thing that separated them was a lightning bolt. "Now, do you want pancakes or waffles?"

"Pancakes!"

"That's my boy," Lyra said, a grin gracing her lips.

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><p>"I don't think I understand," Lyra said, sitting up slightly in the leather chair she was sat in. Across from her was Mrs. Ackermen, the principle of Forest Hill Elementary School. "What exactly happened?"<p>

The deep groves of the principle's skin became more prominent as she frowned. "It seems that a few of the boys in Mister Montez's class were feeling a bit…juvenile," the elderly woman said carefully. Her pale, fragile looking skin was pulled tight around her lips and eyes, as if she had just swallowed a lemon whole.

"What does this have to do with Noah?" the brunette asked warily, her right knee bouncing nervously. Her mind was buzzing with everything that could've happened; none of them ended with an unharmed brother.

"You have to understand, Miss Montez," Mrs. Ackermen said, trying her best to diffuse the tension Lyra held. "We try our best to keep the school as bully-free as possible, but we don't have enough staff to watch ever—"

"Bully?!" Lyra yelped, jumping to her feet. "Is Noah alright? Is he hurt?"

"Miss Montez, please sit down," the woman said, attempting to control the teenager's worry.

"Don't tell me to sit down; I want to see my brother, _now_!"

"Your brother is alright, Miss, just a few scratches from when he was pushed into the bushes. The boys whom pushed him have been punished and dealt with, I assure you. But that isn't why I've called you here."

"It isn't?" Lyra asked incredulously. What could possibly be more important than her brother's well being?

"No; the reason I called you here was because of this," Mrs. Ackermen said, pulling out a manila folder from her desk drawer. She flipped through it before placing it in front of the younger girl, her lips pulling into a thin line.

A line was highlighted, and Lyra found her eyes being drawn to them as she sat down.

_Parent/Guardian Contact Information: Sierra Vasquez; 2961-9726;_** Unregistered Number**

Her naturally wide eyes widened even more. Her jaw dropped a bit. Her heart beat picked up slightly. She tried to say something, but her mouth suddenly became really dry.

"I tried to get in touch with your aunt, but, as you can see, the number is unregistered. I even went as far as to look up her number only to find that there isn't a Sierra Vasquez in this state," the woman on the opposite side of the desk said, raising an inquiring eyebrow. "I hope you can see how worrisome this is."

"I do," Lyra rasped out, still not entirely sure what was going on. Her father had told her that he had taken care of all of the arrangements before he left so that Noah and her could live peacefully together. So that they could live without a random adult there to breathe down their necks, but she never thought he would go to the extent of lying about their predicament.

"Good. Then I suppose you would understand why I had to contact your father in Qatar."

"You—what!" Lyra found herself on her feet again. She wasn't sure if she should be angry and confused or just plain furious. Couldn't the old bat keep her large nose out of other's business?

"Your father wasn't aware that you were left alone, it seemed. He was also confused as to who this Miss Vasquez was. He thought that you two were with your mother in LA. Were you aware of this?"

"N-no."

"Well, it seems that we have quite the predicament here, don't we? Luckily, I have the perfect solution. You'll be moving to Las Angeles with your mother until your father returns from his time in the military."

Now Lyra knew her answer: she should be furious.

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><p>"I don't get it," Noah muttered as he watched Lyra and a social worker pack up their stuff. "Is this because of me being picked on? Because I promise I'll be more careful. Honest!"<p>

Running a tired hand over her face, Lyra crouched down in front of her little brother. "I'm sorry, kiddo. I know that this is a junky birthday and that we don't have time to watch those Deceptibots get beat by the Autocons, but—"

"Decepticons and Autobots," Noah butted in.

"Right. That. But we can't stay by ourselves anymore," she tried to explain. "It isn't because of those boys, I promise. Though I do think that that's the only good thing coming out of this move."

"I'll be more careful, Ly. Please, believe me! I won't let those kids tease me anymore!"

Lyra felt her heart clench as she listened to her brother's cries and pleas. He shouldn't blame himself. It wasn't his fault. "Shush, No'. This isn't about those bullies. This is about how we're minors without supervision."

She knew that he still didn't get it, he still blamed himself. She could see it in his eyes; see it in the in the tears that gathered there.

"Listen, kid. I love you, and I never want to see you hurt like this again. Understand?"

He nodded.

"Good," she said, smiling sadly. "I promise that I'll never let anything happen to you."

"You swear?"

"I swear."

"Swear it to Primus."

"Primus?" Lyra asked, nearly a hundred percent sure this was Transformers related.

"The Cybertronian god," Noah supplied before looking her dead in her eye. "Please, Ly. Swear it on you honor as an Autobot."

"Fine," she sighed, glancing at the middle-aged woman behind her brother. The woman was smiling kindly, holding a small cupcake in her hand. Lyra held her hands out for it, and the social worker handed it to her gently, trying not to burn her with the lit candle. "But you have to make a wish first."

"You got me cake?" he said happily, momentarily distracted. He took the cupcake from Lyra and shut his eyes tightly. After a moment, he blew out the candle.

As he ate his birthday cupcake, she shifted slightly so that, instead of resting on her heels like she had been, she was kneeling on one knee.

"I, Lyra Montez," Lyra said, trying to fight the smile she could feel coming, "do solemnly swear that, as long as I live, I shall do everything in my power to keep you, Noah Montez, safe." A serious look overcame her features as she thought up the next line of her 'oath'. "Even if it costs me my life, and may Primus be my witness."

That seemed to satiate Noah, because he was helping them pack soon enough, a small, barely there smile on his lips, along with vanilla frosting, of course.

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><p>They were in California within a week. It all seemed to go so fast that Lyra could barely comprehend it. Her mother had been very understanding while the social worker was around; not so much when she wasn't.<p>

"So what did your bastard of a father do to get me stuck wit' 'chu?" she had asked.

"H-he's in Qatar," Lyra had replied, stumbling over her words due to her nerves. Their mother was a wretched woman; it was no question why her father would rather have them stay alone than with her. "We didn't have anyone to stay with."

"Of course. Good for nothing fuck has to go and leave his brats with me," her mother had muttered as she had left the room.

Noah turned to her, eyes wide and confused. "Ly, is that our mommy?"

"No," Lyra answered angrily, her jaw clenching.

"Then why are we here if she's not our mom?" he asked as she picked him up into her arms and carried him up the wooden stairs and into their broom closet of a room.

"Biologically," she sighed, "yeah, she's out mom, but she's not our mother. If she was, then she wouldn't be acting like this."

"What's a mother like?" Noah asked innocently.

"A mother is," she said, pausing for a second to think. What was a mother like? Her own relationship with her mother was practically nonexistant; the only actual mother-child interaction that she'd ever seen were those in the movies. "A mother is someone who loves you unconditionally. She's the person you feel safe with no matter what."

He was silent for a second, his nose crinkling as he thought hard about something. Lyra took that time to tuck him into the bed, leaving enough room for her to slide in. She made sure the door was shut and locked, and every light but the flimsy lamp on the rotting wood table next to the bed was off before getting in though.

The covers were drawn tight around them as a cold wind blew in through the open window, and Lyra switched the lamp off. It wasn't until they were in total darkness that Noah spoke again.

"So a mom is kinda like you, Ly?"

She stayed quiet for a few seconds, not sure what to say. In the end, she kissed his forehead and hugged him closer to her. "No, I'm what a sister is."

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><p>Lyra was driving down an unknown street at ten o'clock at night. Her brother was sat next to her in the passenger seat, his seat belt strapped tightly for safety. Though, safe or not, he had made it a point to tell her that she wasn't wearing one which resulted in a quick 'bud out'.<p>

It was pitch black, the only light coming from the night sky and the beat up Volkswagen's head lights. They were far away from the city that they could see every star that surrounded the full moon. That was their plan after all.

"So, wait, Optimus has a girlfriend?" Lyra asked, confused.

"No, he has a _mate,_" Noah explained in exasperation. "Her name is Elita One. It used to be Ariel, but Alpha Trion thought that Elita One was a better warrior name."

"Okay, got it. Prime and Elita are together. What else ya got?"

"Sideswipe has a twin named Sunstreaker that didn't appear in the films," the boy muttered, crossing his arms as he glared out the window. She giggled and leaned over to ruffle his hair playfully.

"Sideswipe is that sexy corvette, right?"

"Don't let him hear you say that. You'll never live it down."

Lyra took her eyes off the road for a second to smile at her brother, and, when her eyes move back to the road, she was greeted with bright lights. Her heart dropped as she realized that the lights were attached to a car and that that car was coming straight at them.

"Noah!" was the last thing that could be heard as she gave up on trying to swerve out of the way and instead chose to protect her little brother.

Blinding pain invaded every recess of her mind, and she couldn't tell if that mechanical whirring was real or just a figment of her imagination.

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><p><strong>Author's Note: <strong>I know, a cliffhanger. They suck donkey balls. -_-

But don't worry! I promise no cliffhanger next chapter! Maybe... Uh, review?


	3. Ch2 Gators With Rice and Electric Ponds

**Disclaimer: I don't own Transformers. I only own Shannon, Kristopher, Lyra, and Noah.**

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><p><strong>Author's Note: <strong>Thanks for the reviews! I love you guys! Here's the next update. I'm introducing Lyra's dad. Yay! Anyway, let's start!

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><p><strong>Edit: <strong>_9/21/12_ Fixed some spelling/grammar errors. Fixed the flow.

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><p><strong>Chapter 2<strong>

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><p><em>Gators With Rice and Electric Ponds<em>

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><p>Kristopher Montez was on a plane with his team. He had been reassigned to Qatar after eight months in Afghanistan, and he couldn't be happier. With this new assignment, he would be home with his children within five months. He hadn't been happy when he had received a call from his son's school, asking about the phony number he had given them as contact information. Now they were probably off being mentally scarred by his ex-wife.<p>

A scowl marred the man's sharp features, and, thanks to an ongoing conversation between the other men on his team, it went unnoticed.

"I can't wait to get a little taste of home," the only other Hispanic person on the plane, Fig, said, a dreamy smile on his lips. "A plate of mama's alligators étouffée."

"You've been talking about barbequed 'gators and crickets for the last two weeks," a dark skinned man known as Epps said. "I'm never going to your mama's house, Fig. I promise."

"But Bobby, Bobby, 'gators are known to have the most succulent meat," he argued.

"I understand." Fig started rambling off about how good it went with rice in spanish, ignoring Epps' mocking. "English, please. English."

Before Fig could protest, another man spoke up, his name was Will Lennox. "I mean, how many times have we…we don't speak Spanish. I told you that," he said, looking around at everyone on the plane.

"Why you got to ruin it for me, man? That's my heritage," Fig complained before switching to Spanish again.

A laugh escaped Kris, drawing everyone's attention. "What's so funny, new guy?" Epps asked, eyebrows creasing together in confusion.

"Nothin'. I jus' think that what he's saying is amusing."

"Wait, you speak Spanish?" someone asked.

"Yeah," was the only reply they got.

Before the conversation could get awkward, the same person who spoke earlier switched them to a different topic. "Hey, you guys remember weekends? Huh? The Sox at Fenway. Cold hotdog and a flat beer."

"Perfect day," Fig agreed. "What about you, Captain? You got a perfect day?"

"I just can't wait to hold my baby girl for the first time," Lennox said, sounding tired. The soldiers started teasing him with comments about how adorable he was and things of the like, but not Kris. No, he found himself wishing he could be with his kids too.

"What about you, new guy?" Fig asked.

"Perfect day," Kris mumbled, thinking it over. Each thought involved his kids, it was hard to just pick one. "A warm, sunny day at the beach, playing catch with my son while my daughter reads a book in the shade."

"Sounds nice," Lennox said, giving him the kind of sympathetic smile that only a father who's been away from their child for a long time can give.

_Yeah, _Kris thought, leaning his head back against the plane's inner wall. _Sounds perfect._

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><p><em>Dear Lyra and Noah,<em>

_I'm sorry that you have to stay with your mother. I don't know what happened. I had asked a friend of mine to let me use their phone line as your contact information. Guess they cut it off._

_I'm sorry, guys. I know you don't like staying with Shannon. If it helps, it'll only be 5 months before I'm home. Now that I'm in Qatar I'll be able to do what needs to be done._

_Lyra, stop worrying. It's gonna give you wrinkles. I'll be fine, and I'm sure No' will be fine too. You need to lay off with the coddling a bit. _

_Noah, listen to your sister. And happy belated birthday! Make sure your sister takes you shopping to buy a toy from that fandom you're in love with. Pokemon, right? You never do stop talking about it. _

_I love you both and—_

A commotion from outside caught Kris' attention. He put the letter he was writing down, grabbed the M-4 combat assault rifle and gear that was next to his bunk, and made his way outside. What he saw was like something out of a comic book.

Robots. Giant _armed_ robots.

As much as Kris would've preferred to just stand and gape, he knew that that would just get him killed. And, if that were to happen, then his kids would have to be stuck with their she-devil of a mom.

Springing into action, he ran towards the closest robot, aiming his gun and firing at it. The bullets seemed to do nothing to it as it just continued attacking the building it was focused on.

"Crazy…" he said, taking a few steps backwards in shock. There was an explosion, knocking Kris off of his feet. He scrambled away from the robot and jumped up, trying to regain his balance as quickly as possible.

Lennox, Epps and the rest of the team were running by at that moment, and one of them grabbed him and started tugging him along. He ran with them, hoping to every deity he could think of that he would get out of this alive. If not for him, then for his children.

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><p>It was silent. Nothing moved. Not the trees, nor the clouds, not even the wind. It was like the world was dead to Lyra. Or Lyra was dead to the world. There was no pain here, no emotions. Just silence and cold.<p>

Lyra's breath came in short, shallow pants, as if she had just run a mile in a time span of two minutes. Each inhale burned her throat; each exhale caused a small puff a smoke to crystalize as it escaped her chapped lips.

Where was she?

The brunette opened her mouth to call out, but found that she couldn't. No noise would come out. At all.

Panic swelled within her. Lyra turned around and around and around frantically, trying to find something, anything that could explain why no noise could come out. Her hazel eyes landed on trees, trillions and trillions of trees. Ongoing, never ending…

"Help!" she tried to yell. "Please! Help!"

But the words never left her half frozen lips, not being able to create the noise required for communication. The anxiety in her tripled, suffocating her, leaving her gasping for air that she already had.

Lyra felt lightheaded, her stomach churning as the trees danced in her vision, swimming in her dazed gaze. Her knees shook violently, and she felt like she was forgetting something. Something important. Something more important than her, but she couldn't remember.

Why couldn't she remember?

The teenage girl tried to remember what had happened prior to coming here, she really did, but there was a haze that wouldn't let her remember. Why wouldn't it let her remember? Lyra fought with all her strength, with every fiber of her very essence, but she couldn't fight back that fog, couldn't make it go away long enough for her to grasp the wisps of her broken memories.

"_Barricade…_"

Lyra jumped to her feet. She twirled around faster, trying with all her might to locate where the sound came from. It didn't matter that the trees now danced around, on the ground, on each other, on the sky. That didn't matter. There was a desire, a yearning, deep within her soul that demanded she locate the origin of the familiar voice.

"_Ly…wake up. Please, Ly, I need you…" _

"Who are you? Why do you need me?" Lyra tried to say, growing restless as the voice started to turn hysterical.

She kept looking, moving quicker and quicker. She even approached the forest line, looking into it uneasily. Could the voice be coming from in there?

Lyra preferred staying out in the little clearing she was in, but the voice was distant, faint; it couldn't be coming from there.

The first step into the woods was the hardest thing she had ever endured. She knew it was. It wasn't painful, there wasn't any pain in this place, but it was just so…excruciating. The temperature, which was already at about freezing rate, seemed to drop below zero, leaving every piece of exposed skin blue.

"_Lyra, wake up! Wake up, now!" _

Wake up? Wasn't she already awake? She was pretty sure she was.

Ignoring it, Lyra continued further into the forest. It felt like hours, maybe days, before she reached a break in the trees. A pond so small, yet so large at the same time, was what greeted her. With the current temperature, she would've expected that the water had frozen over, but it hadn't. No, it was still very much a liquid. Though, she had to admit, it wasn't like any liquid she had ever seen. It was blue, and it looked like little electric currents were running through it.

It mesmerized her. The electricity danced, shining off every surface it could grab on to. Including something around her neck. Confused, Lyra broke eye contact with the electric water and focused on the strange surface.

A necklace?

Lyra glanced back at the pond, examining it closer. At the bottom was something that churned the gears in her head. It was distorted, but it looked familiar. She leaned toward the pool of electric liquid. If she could only just get a closer look, she was sure that she could remember.

It looked like…like a metallic face.

Gasping as the memories flooded into her mind in nanoseconds, Lyra was rocked off balance and landed headfirst into the pond.

A scream tried to rip its way through her throat, but there was no noise here, no noise but Noah's familiar voice.

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><p>Noah was scared. He was all alone inside Barricade, and he didn't know how. Lyra was next to him, unconscious, bloodied, screaming in her sleep.<p>

The Decepticon wasn't too happy that his sister was bleeding all over his interior, nor did he like having to listen to her shrieks of pain and fright.

Once again, Noah tried to wake his sister. He knew it was wrong, after all, you were supposed to let people rest when they've been injured, but he was terrified. He needed his big sis to take care of him, to tend to the gash on his right arm and pull out the glass in his calf.

"Lyra, wake up! Wake up, now!" Noah hissed, poking at an unharmed area on Lyra's abdomen.

"Give it up, fleshy," came a deep voice from the police cruiser's speakers. Frenzy, a mini Decepticon sat in the front passenger seat, doing Primus knew what. "She's not going to wake."

A whimper escaped him, and he curled up closer to Lyra, seeking comfort in her. He tried to ignore the blood, but he couldn't. He may have only been eight, but he knew that losing that much blood was bad.

'_Lyra, please wake up. I'm scared,_' he thought, gripping her hand tightly.

As if she had heard him, a screech ripped its way out of her body, forcing him to cover his ears. Barricade swerved, caught off guard slightly by Lyra's antics. How was he supposed to concentrate on finding Ladiesman217 with that sound destroying his audio sensors?

"Quiet, femme!" the Decepticon snarled as he tracked Ladiesman's cellphone. The fleshy was about half a mile away.

"Ly! Quiet," the human youngling said, trying to calm his banshee of a sister down. "It's okay. We're safe."

The way the young mech said it made it sound as if he knew that he was lying. Barricade found himself feeling smug. Starscream had ordered him to find the glasses, and, along with that, he was also bringing back a pair of humans that seemed to know about them. They seemed to know more than they should.

"No', it hurts," the femme, Lyra, the 'con had gathered, moaned out. Noah leaned down to his sister's ear and started whispering to her to keep Barricade from hearing. But, it seemed, he had forgotten that Cybertronians had much better hearing than humans.

"Ly, we're in Transformers," the child hissed. "We're in Barricade, in a Decepticon!"

"What're ya talkin' 'bout?" she mumbled, burying her face in his leather upholstery. The 'Con revved his engine in protest, but said nothing. He was half focusing on what was going on in his cabin, and half on tracking Ladiesman.

He was about a hundred meters away from him when he picked up on a Cybertronian signal. _Slag it to Pit, _Barricade thought, picking up speed while trying to avoid the traffic.

"Ly, I just saw Mikaela!" Noah exclaimed, pressing his face against his window.

"What are you talking about?" Lyra asked again. Her voice was laced with pain, but it at least sounded stronger. She tried to sit up, wincing and groaning as each move pulled at one of her numerous injuries.

'Cade growled, pulling into an alley of sorts. There were parked cars everywhere, making maneuvering around harder but still possible. He spotted Ladiesman and played his police siren. That seemed to have caught his attention.

The Autobot scout drove off, making the Decepticon suspicious.

"Hey, it's Sam!" the human boy said, pointing at the human who was approaching him.

"I don't believe it," Lyra murmured, recoiling into his seats.

"Quiet, humans," Barricade barked, turning on his holoform.

Lyra's jaw dropped. The pain was forgotten completely now, her full attention on the man that just appeared in the driver's seat.

"Okay, maybe I believe it now," she said.

Her gaze went from the mustached man to the door that swung open, hitting a boy on a pink bike. Sam.

"That's gotta hurt," Noah cringed, leaning closer to get a better look. Lyra grabbed onto his arm, yanking him back.

"Stop it," she hissed at him, keeping a firm grip on him.

"Listen to me!" Sam said, getting up as if nothing had happened. "Thank God you're here! I've had the worst day ever!"

"Get out of here," Lyra muttered, glancing between the boy who was practically having a mental break down and Barricade's holoform.

"I've been…I've been followed here on my mother's bike! Right? And my cars right there and its been following me here! So get out of the car!" Sam explained hitting the hood of the car.

That only seemed to piss the car off since, in the next moment, he was threatening to run the boy over. Edging closer and closer, ignoring Sam's words of sorry. Even though she's watched the movie with Noah dozens of times before, never really paying attention, Lyra still found herself wondering if the 'Con would actually run him over.

"Stop! You'll kill him," she cried, straightening up slightly. The skin of her back stretched, causing the glass embedded in it to dig itself deeper into her flesh. Her nailed clawed into the leather beneath her hands as she gritted her teeth.

"Okay! I'm sorry! I'm…I didn't mean to hit your car! Look! Okay, look, look, look! Stop, stop!" Sam yelled, scrambling back to keep from getting killed.

"Get your slagging nails out of my leather, femme!" Barricade snapped, turning his holoform around long enough to send her a scathing glare.

Shocked, Lyra pulled her hands away, not having realized that she had dug her nails deep into her seat.

"Ly, look!" Noah said, pulling against his sister's other hand, trying to get a better view of what the 'Con was doing to Sam.

Before she could pull him back, Barricade threw them out and onto the ground outside before transforming. The mechanical whirrs and clangs forced her brain back to the last seconds before she was knocked unconscious. It took her breath away more than the hard landing did.

"Oh, God! Oh, God, no!" Sam yelled as the car transformed and started to chase him.

Lyra ignored him.

"Noah. Noah, get up," she said, forcing herself up onto her hands and knees. Her brother was sitting up a few feet ahead of her, looking onto what was happening in awe. He was 'ooh'ing and 'ah'ing as he watched Sam get flipped into the air.

Lyra grabbed onto a van's bumper, using it to pull herself up. "No', snap out of it," she growled, taking unsteady steps towards him. The brunette glanced towards Barricade to see that he was busy. It pained her to leave Sam in the psychotic robot's clutches, but her brother came first.

Noah was watching Lyra as she gripped his upper arm tightly, nearly painfully, pulling him up. He didn't protest despite how much he wanted to, though. He never really did get involved with his sister's decisions; she always had a good reason for everything she did anyway.

"C'mon, No'," she told him, pulling him away from the robot. He could tell she was trying to run, but it wasn't really working out that way. The movements caused her too much pain, and he knew she was trying to hide it, trying to rough through it.

They were nearly out of there now, nearly on the street, when Lyra tripped. She landed on her arm painfully, her head barely avoiding the ground. Noah tried to help her up, but she pushed him away. "Don't be stupid, Noah. Get the hell out of here."

Noah didn't know what to do. He wanted to help his sister, who wasn't even close to being back on her feet, but she would be angry with him if he didn't listen.

He nodded hesitantly, feeling guilty as he ran away, towards the street. He spotted Mikeala driving in, and hid behind a pillar. His eyes followed her as Sam ran towards her and knocked her over. Noah glanced at Lyra to see her on her knees, searching around for something. Her hazel eyes met his brown ones, and they widened before her eyebrows scrunched up angrily.

"Run!" Lyra yelled, momentarily drawing Sam and Mikeala's attention. Noah nodded before he took off. He didn't want to though.


	4. Ch3 Ass Breaking Towers and Teenage Boys

**Author's Note: **I honestly don't think much happens, except for maybe the meeting between Sam, Mikaela, and Lyra. And Lyra getting injured more…but yeah. It's longish…so I hope that's good.

Spanish is translated in italics, radio talk is in bold, memories/thoughts are also in italics.

Anyway, enjoy!

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><p><strong>Edit: <strong>9_/21/12 _Fixed spelling errors and typos.

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><p><strong>Chapter 2<strong>

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><p><em>Ass Breaking Towers and Perverted Teenage Boys<em>

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><p>The sun was beating down harshly on the soldiers as they trekked through the desert of Qatar. There was no wind, nor clouds to hinder the ball of fire in its lethal mission of sweating their lives out of their pores.<p>

Kris' tongue was attached to the roof of his mouth, having finished off the small amount of water an hour ago. The sweltering heat was enough to drive him delirious, and, if it wasn't for the water tank they found near the phone line, he was sure that he wouldn't have made it out sane.

He waited for Epps to finish soaking his face as Lennox said something about hoping the line worked. The water looked so amazing to him, mesmerizing. It felt like forever to the dehydrated latino for Epps to move away, handing him the cup. Of course, as luck would have it, the water had barely touched his chapped lips when something ran into the metal structure ten feet away from him, effectively knocking it down.

"Hey, heads up!" someone had yelled as the soldiers scattered.

"What the heck was that?" Donnelly asked.

"_What the hell do you mean, what was that? That tower fell over and almost broke my ass!_" Fig said, answering in his native tongue.

"English, dude. English."

Kris, after checking that no one was hurt, had returned to the water and had taken a large gulp when Epps started screaming. The sound of bullets followed, and he found himself letting the heavenly liquid fall to the ground, his gun replacing the cup.

He aimed the weapon at something metallic, dread settling into his mind. If this was anything like that thing that attacked the base, then they would be in for it.

"Watch out!" Lennox yelled as the robotic scorpion dove underground. Everybody started shooting the ground, waiting for it to come back up. "Everybody, quiet. Settle."

"Whoa, mother…what the hell is…" Epps yelled, the mixture of panic and confusion making it hard to form a complete sentence.

Kris was trying not to freak out as he turned this way and that, keeping an eye out for the robot that attacked them. It was nothing that he had ever seen before. Even though the government tended to keep the military 'grunts' out of the loop, he knew for a fact that the US didn't have anything like this in their weaponry.

A scream caused Kris to turn around quickly, his brown eyes widening as he saw Donnelly get maimed by the giant scorpion's stinger. Everybody started shooting at once, hoping in vain that they could save their comrade. It took a bit, but soon they realized that it was no use, and their fight-or-flight instinct kicked their mind into 'flight'.

The team broke into a sprint, jumping and slipping from sand dune to sand dune. Some would turn back and shoot before continuing their run every few seconds in an attempt to hold off their enemy. Kris, who had been one of the ones who had been firing at the metal enemy, finally gave up and just ran for it as did his team mates. They approached a village that was teeming with innocent civilians, and he felt a pang of worry as his eyes landed on a teenage girl ushering a small child into a building.

"Cover fire! Move it! Fig, Montez, cover the rear! Epps! Cover the rear! Move it!" Lennox yelled. Kris nodded, doing just that.

The scorpion was firing missiles at the village, making Kris grow angrier and angrier. Whoever was behind this was a monster! Harming innocents…despicable! The man took his anger out on the metallic beast by firing at it nonstop.

"Hey! I need a mag! Give me a mag!" Someone yelled out as Kris was started shooting at the thing's tail. Fig was next to him, doing the same.

"_Take that, sucker!_" Fig cried, firing like a mad man. This only seemed to piss off the scorpion. In the next second, it had let lose a group of missiles, hitting the building behind the two Latinos. A loud scream rung out, and, due to the raging war around them, Kris was the only one that heard it.

"Fig!" he yelled, having whipped around and spotted the large slab of stone falling towards him. Fig had jumped out of the way in time, though, and was clutching his heart in shock.

"_That was close_," he laughed. He was silenced, however, when a nearby explosion threw him backwards. Kris, who had been standing a few yards away, hadn't felt the full blast like Fig, and was stupefied for a few seconds before he fully processed what had happened.

"Call a medic!"

* * *

><p>Lyra watched Noah run away, her panic easing slightly as he left behind this mayhem. Her mind was still screaming that this was impossible, but the pain in every inch of her body was telling her that yes, this was real, and no, she wasn't dreaming.<p>

The brunette didn't have much time to think on it as Barricade ran over, having been chasing Sam. He spotted the small, injured femme, and, without a second thought, he scooped her up.

"Let go of me!" Lyra yelled, the familiar burn of pain flaring up in every cell in her body. She was ignored as the former police car continued his pursuit for Ladiesman.

Bumblebee pulled up to the scene then, knocking Barricade over. Lyra cried out as the Decepticon's grip tightened around her. Through the haze of ache that had tripled in her mind, she noticed Sam and Mikeala arguing. Eventually, they climbed into the yellow Camaro and kicked it out of there.

Lyra, who had just pushed through the foggy state she had been in, was thrown back into 'Cade as he transformed around her. They were in the chase scene now, she realized, writhing in agony in the police cruiser's back seat.

"I'm gonna die soon," the brunette moaned, hoping that her words would be true. Death must've been better than this. The 'Con didn't comment, instead he opted for turning his police sirens on. Not only did it clear traffic, it also drowned out the annoying femme's complaining.

After driving over a rather large bump, rocking Lyra around and forcing her to intensify her whining, Barricade made it a point to avoid any more bumps lest he want to lose his processor. He couldn't, however, avoid the window he had to jump through. The landing was less than graceful.

After a few minutes of swerving, the 'Con righted himself and continued his pursuit of the yellow mech. Lyra was less than happy.

"Are you _trying _to get us killed?" she screeched, gripping the seat tightly. Of course, the fact that the crazy alien robot was a crazy alien robot had slipped her mind.

"Quiet, femme," Barricade growled, picking up speed to catch the yellow Camaro. The scout started swerving as it turned around, and, with loud Cybertronian curses, he did so as well.

Lyra was slammed into the Decepticon's door, and she felt a searing pain as something warm and wet oozed down her side. Her hands flew to the source on instinct, applying pressure. She didn't need to know if she was bleeding at the moment; it was the last thing on her mind.

The police cruiser began to slow down after a while, practically cruising down the street, and Lyra chanced a glance out the window. She hadn't noticed how late it had gotten. Then again, she had other things to worry about than the time of day. Her bleeding abdomen, for example.

The brunette faintly recognized that they were in what appeared to be the warehouse district. "Is it over?" she moaned, pained and nauseated. She didn't expect an answer from the 'Con, and she didn't get one.

Glancing out the window, Lyra's defeated gaze fell on a familiar yellow Camaro. She assumed Barricade spotted them too because he slowed to a stop. Time ticked by agonizingly.

Soon, the yellow car peeled out, followed by the police car. A small shriek escaped the human girl's lips at the sudden movement, jolting forward in her seat. "Here we go again…"

The beaten moan was answered with a smug rev of the cruiser's engine as he gained more and more speed.

Up ahead, the Camaro had let his passangers out and transformed something Lyra wished for greatly. _I'm going to die_, she thought wearily. _I'm going to die in a giant alien robot that transforms into a vehicle that the people who protect us use._

Suddenly, Barricade's door flew open, and, with a none-too-gentle shove from her seat, Lyra was thrown out of the automobile. Not a second later, her previous spot was crushed by the morphing parts of the transforming Decepticon.

Lyra screamed loudly, the pain rising from 'torturous' to 'unbearable' on impact. Broken shards of glass and rubble dug into her skin, slicing the capillaries that resided in the external organ, and allowing ribbons of crimson blood to decorate her pale skin.

She tried to take in deep breaths to calm herself, but the thuds of an alien battle not five yards away kept her heart thudding, pumping adrenaline into her damaged system. The pain slowly started to ebb away, much to Lyra's relief, just as Mikaela came running over to her.

"Hey, are you okay?" the dark haired beauty asked. Lyra groaned, and she seemed to take that as an 'I'm alive'. "Okay, okay, j-just hold still. We need to, we need to stop the bleeding."

Sam screamed suddenly, drawing the attention of both girls. Their eyes rested on his face for a second before it was drawn to the little robot trying to claw him to pieces. The two giant bots continued their death match, completely oblivious to the humans for a second.

"Help him," Lyra groaned out, trying to push herself up. Although it didn't hurt as much to move anymore, her muscles were still weak, and it was starting to take its toll on her, especially since she could be squished at any moment.

"O-okay. Ju-just stay here," Mikaela demanded. She was gone in the next second.

"He's got me! Oh, God!" Sam cried, kicking at the mini Decepticon. A brief conversation with Noah flashed into Lyra's mind.

"_That 'baby robot' is named Frenzy. Just 'cause he's small doesn't mean he's weak. He could still maim you and leave you horribly disfigured," Noah said seriously._

_Lyra fixed him with a look. "Where the heck did you learn those words?"_

"_Animal Planet."_

"Frenzy," Lyra whispered, eyes welling up at the thought of her little brother. Was he okay? Was he hurt? Where was he now? Did he have enough sense to go to the police? Is he out wandering the streets in the dark? Did he decide to hide out with homeless people? What if he was kidnapped? What if he was in some predator's clutches at that very moment?

Through her darkening thoughts, Lyra hadn't noticed that the mini 'Con had glanced her way, having heard her utter his name. He stored that piece of information in a special file before turning back to Ladiesman. He had to complete his mission.

"He's going to kill me!" Sam yelled, and, much to her horror, Lyra saw that Frenzy had pulled off his pants, leaving him in his boxers. She turned away, not caring that he was practically being murdered, her face burning a dark, hot red.

However, that wasn't the smartest idea on her part. The girl's gaze were drawn to the two brawling Cybertronians; her heart sank as she realized how close they were to her. Pushing herself up as a new surge of adrenaline pumped itself into her bloodstream, Lyra limped away quickly, holding onto her side as she felt the skin pull awkwardly, releasing more blood.

She reached a large, sturdy looking building, and leaned against it. Mikaela ran passed her soon, holding a power tool in her hand. The girl hadn't noticed her standing there, which, to Lyra, was good. She had, after all, directly disobeyed her orders, and that tool wasn't looking very becoming.

Her brown orbs followed Mikaela as she ran towards Sam (he had gotten himself trapped between a psycho alien minibot and a fence), and she watched with unregistered amusement as the girl shredded Sam's attacker to pieces while he cheered her on.

Said boy kicked its head now that he knew it was no longer a threat, and Lyra couldn't help but feel a sinking feeling in the pit of her stomach. Something was supposed to happen, but what was it? Lyra closed her eyes, leaning her head against the wall she had propped herself up on, taking in a deep breath to try to ease the sensation.

"Hey!" She cracked an eye open, spotting Mikaela and Sam running towards her. It had been Mikaela that had called out at her. "I told you not to move."

"Sorry," Lyra said as she struggled to push herself off the wall. "I didn't want to get squished."

Sam nodded understandingly, but his gaze was drawn to the fighting robots. His Camaro seemed to be winning, and, for that, he allowed a small smile to make its way onto his face. "The bleeding got worse." The boy turned his gaze back to the two girls, and he noticed the large blood stain that surrounded the left side of her ribcage.

"'S fine," Lyra said, shrugging off the worried girl's hands. She tried to direct that conversation to the Cybertronians' fight, but was disappointed to see that it was over. "Guys…"

The other two followed her gaze. "What is it?" Mikaela asked, grabbing a hold of the brown eyed girl's upper arm gently as she followed Sam.

"It's a robot," he said, staring up at his used-to-be Camaro. Lyra didn't speak, her teeth biting down painfully on her lower lip to keep herself from screaming at how much moving hurt. "But like a…like a different…you know, like a super advanced robot," he stuttered out quietly. "It's probably Japanese. Yeah, it's definitely Japanese."

The Camaro came closer, and Lyra felt the urge to tell him to hurry up. Keeping herself upright was wearing her down quickly, and gravity kept a steady flow of blood escaping out of her side. Sam walked towards it, though, led by a mixture of gratitude and curiosity.

"What are you doing?" Mikaela asked, her hand unconsciously tightening around Lyra's arm.

"I don't think it wants to hurt us. It would have done that already," Sam reasoned, getting closer to the alien.

"Really?" she asked sardonically. "Well, do you speak robot? Because they just had, like, a giant droid death match."

"He's a good guy," Lyra whispered, feeling lightheaded. "You have to—he's a good guy. Barricade's not."

Mikaela looked at her curiously, but Sam stopped her questioning as he spoke. "I think it wants something from me," he said.

"What?" his female companion asked incredulously, wrapping Lyra's arm around her shoulders as she realized how worn out the girl was.

"Well, 'cause the other one was talking about my eBay page."

Mikaela scoffed quietly; "You are the strangest boy I have ever met."

Sam ignored her, choosing to address the alien. "Can you talk?" he asked, raising his voice to make sure he was heard.

"**XM Satellite Radio…Digital cable brings you…Columbia Broadcasting System…**"

"So you…you talk through the radio?" Sam asked.

"**Thank you, you're beautiful**," 'Bee played, clapping his hands. Whether it was mockingly or in actual congratulations, Lyra couldn't tell, but she still thought it was cute. "**You're wonderful, you're wonderful.**"

"So, what was that last night? What was that?"

Raising his arm up in the air, Bumblebee answered Sam with a jumbled mix of clips: "**Message from Starfleet, Captain…Throughout the inanimate vastness of space…Angels will rain down like visitors from heaven! Hallelujah!**"

"Visitors from heaven?" Mikaela asked, struggling to get Lyra and herself to where Sam stood. "What…What are you, like, an alien or something?"

The mech pointed at her as a way of saying 'yes', and transformed back into his Camaro form. "**Anymore questions you want to ask?**" he played, opening his passenger door.

"He wants us to get in the car," Sam muttered.

"And go where?"

"Fifty years from now, when you're looking back at your life, don't you want to be able to say you had the guts to get in the car?"

Lyra looked at Mikaela, wondering if she would answer the question the same way she did in the movie. It was one of the only parts she ever paid attention to in the movie. After all, the scene had been a vital part in Sam and Mikaela's romantic relationship, and Lyra was a sap for romance.

She didn't disappoint.

Mikaela readjusted Lyra's arm, and, with Sam's help, they made their way to the extraterrestrial car. Sam had reached out to make the seat go back, but was beat as Bumblebee did it for him. Painfully, the brunette slipped inside, gripping her side in a vain attempt to ease the ache.

Lyra had expected the other girl to sit up front like in the movie, but she was shocked to discover that, instead, she had slipped in next to her. Sam shut the door behind him after he plopped down in the passenger seat.

"We need to get my stuff," Mikaela said absentmindedly as she peeled off her jacket. Sam nodded from his spot up front, watching the girl through the rearview mirror. "And we need to stop the bleeding," she added, eying Lyra warily.

She had been wearing a blue button up with a black tank top underneath and jeans, but the button up was practically nonexistent now. The only thing keeping it on her body was two thin straps of cloth that had refused to break during the whole ordeal.

Lyra nodded and started to remove her shirt before she remembered that Sam was in the car and that he had a good view from where he was. She kicked the back of his seat wearily, drawing his attention. "Don't look," she said, glaring at him. All the mirrors in the car turned, obstructing Sam's view. "Thanks," she whispered.

Sam had turned his gaze forward, and, as Bumblebee slowed down near Mikaela's stuff, he got out and retrieved her things for her. Said girl had been trying to remove Lyra's tank top without pulling at the open gash it covered.

"Ow," the brunette moaned. "That hurts."

"Sorry!" Mikaela apologized, trying to stop her hands from shaking so she could tend to the girl better.

Lyra checked to make sure that Sam wasn't watching (he was a teenage boy, after all) before she grabbed the edge of her tank top. "I'll do it," she muttered, lightly pushing the other girl's hands away. She took a deep breath, preparing herself for pain. The blood has dried around the skin, sticking the two together. It would be like ripping off a Band-Aid: quick and painful.

"Are you su—?"

"Fuck!" Lyra had yanked off her shirt quickly, leaving the brunette in only a white bra, and the pain had been instantaneous. She hadn't heard the tear of the cloth from the skin like the others; she had felt it.

"**Get me a doctor!**" Bumblebee's radio played.

"No," Lyra wheezed. "I hate doctors. Just—let's just go…wherever it is we're going. I'll be fine."

"Sam, hand me my bag," Mikaela said, reaching her hand out as Sam passed it to her. She searched through the contents quickly, pulling out a water bottle. "This might sting a bit—hey, I don't know your name."

"Lyra."

"I'm Mikaela," she smiled. "That's Sam." When the brunette nodded in acknowledgment, Mikaela continued her previous thought. "This might sting, okay?"

Lyra didn't have a chance to ask her what was going to sting before the dark haired girl had poured water on her wound. "_Ow!_"

"Sorry!" she squeaked, grabbing Lyra's ripped button up and cleaning as much blood as she could off. The bleeding had slowed, but it hadn't stopped. Mikaela knew that if the girl lost any more blood, it wouldn't end well.

The button up was soon ripped into strips of cloth and tied tightly around Lyra's abdomen. It was a bit sloppy—Mikaela had only ever seen it done in movies, after all—but it was still something. The bleeding would stop soon, and that was the most important thing at the moment.

After helping Lyra back into her tank top, Mikaela handed her her jacket. "No," the brown eyed girl objected, handing it back. "I can't."

"You need it." This time, instead of just giving it to her, Mikaela practically forced the brunette into it.

They were silent for a while. The entire world seemed to have shut up as the three teens sat in the alien Camaro. What were they supposed to talk about? Mikaela glanced over at the girl next to her. She was practically asleep now, her brown eyes half lidded and blinking tiredly. Sighing, she moved to the front, sitting in between the two seats uncomfortably.

"Sleep, Lyra," she murmured.


	5. Ch4 Robotics and Burning Cold

**_Author's Note:_ **And here's chapter 4!

A lot of people have been asking about Noah, and, while I would've liked to have kept that tidbit secret, I think it makes more sense if I reveal what happened earlier on. So, you're questions have been semi-answered! :D

And! We learn about Lyra! I really haven't given much on her character. Like, what's her favorite thing to do, is she smart, etc. So, I decided to reveal some of her personality and interests. I'll explain more at the bottom.

* * *

><p><strong>Edit: <strong>_9/22/12 _Typos and some grammar mistakes have been fixed!

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 4<strong>

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><p><em>Robotics and Burning Cold<em>

* * *

><p>Somewhere over the Atlantic, Kristopher Montez was on a U.S. Air Force plane. On his way back home. Well, sort of.<p>

Figg had been horribly injured, and, after being rushed to the nearest medic, the Special Ops team was anxiously awaiting the 'verdict', as Epps had called it. Kris, who, although he had only known the downed soldiers for a short while, had forged a bond with the only other Hispanic man on the team, was distraught. He had watched the explosion that had hospitalized his friend.

Now, the culprit for his current emotional stress was strapped to a table, being examined by the team.

"It's like a self-regenerating molecular armor" a man said. Kris hadn't bothered to learn his name or rank, for he was too preoccupied with the metallic scorpion. It looked like something his daughter would be fascinated with. She was, after all, really into science. He could just imagine the fascinated look that would be etched onto her face if she could examine this thing like they were right now.

Of course, Kris reminded himself, she had expressed her dislike for robotics.

"_There's a reason only woman can create life, daddy," Lyra had told him seriously. "It's because men would just use what they made for war." _

He hadn't understood it at the time—robots were used in assembly lines, he had thought—but now he knew what she had meant. This robot had wounded his comrade; imagine what would happen if there was an _army_ of them.

"Look at the scorch mark where the sabot round hit," Will said, peering at the hole with a magnifying glass. "Melted right through." He turned to Epps; "Hey, aren't sabots hot-loaded for, like, a 6000-degree magnesium burn?"

Kris whistled lowly. That was, for lack of a better word, hot.

"Close to it. It melts tank armor," Epps responded.

"So this metal skin must react to extreme heat," Will surmised.

"Metals a good conductor," Kris said, eying the 'cargo' warily. They had been ordered to bring it with them to be examined. Dissected was the word he would've used, but, whatever. "I imagine the heat would've spread to more of its body."

As if it were answering them, acknowledging that they were right, the scorpion's tail shot up. Shouts of "head's up!" and exclamations like "oh!" and "whoa!" filling the plane. The scorpion lunged its tail towards Epps whom backed away quickly, narrowly avoiding becoming a kabob.

"I thought you said that thing was dead, man!" Epps yelled accusingly as the tail went back into its previous position of being flat on the table. The team swarmed it, holding it down as Will ordered them to "strap it down."

"This thing is wicked," he said, his youth becoming evident as he glanced at the machinery. He turned to Epps, his role as leader shrouding the kid persona he had as he started firing off orders. "All right, get on the horn with Northern Command. Tell them that our effective weapon is high-heat sabot rounds. Recommend we load them on all the gunships. Go."

* * *

><p><em>Lyra wasn't awake, that much she could tell. But she was sure that she wasn't sleeping either. No, she was in a dark alley that smelled of oil and booze. The question was how did she get there?<em>

_The last memory Lyra could bring up was Mikaela wrapping her side with ripped fragments of her favorite shirt. Then, after the dark haired teen had finished tying the last knot, she couldn't remember a thing. It was just blank, a never ending abyss of nothingness. _

_Now the brunette found herself in the alley with no pain from her previous escapades, nor any signs of her struggles. Lyra had to admit, though, that everything felt heavy. Her arms and legs were like lead, and her head—her mind—felt like it was holding up a cinderblock. Her lips were sewed tight, frozen, and her chest was so…cold._

_Lyra struggled to remember where she had felt this cold before. It was so familiar. Where had she felt it? The girl forced her hand up to her chest, over the freezing area, hoping in vain to warm it. Her fingers ran over something hard, something metal, and she pulled her hand back as quickly as she could manage. What—?_

_The brunette glanced down, but only managed a brief glimpse of a silver flash. Lyra's confusion only grew. What was that? A necklace, perhaps? She couldn't recall ever having been wearing one—she despised it when the chains caught on her hair—but then she remembered that she was dreaming: anything can happen when you're dreaming._

_But still, the silver chain around her neck was freezing. It was so cold against her pale skin that it burned. As the thought processed in her mind, she started hearing a distinct _thud! thud! thud! _coming towards her, growing faster. Lyra looked towards the mouth of the alley, the burning flaring as her ears picked up the soft, rapid patter of sneakers on pavement. _

_Not three seconds later, a boy came running in followed by a giant robot with red optics: a Decepticon. A gasp escaped Lyra as the boy ran past her, the robot following. It wasn't the close proximity with the giant metallic being that left her breathless; it was what she had seen when the boy had run by._

_It was Noah!_

_She tried to open her mouth to yell out to him—Run! Hide! Get away!—but her lips refused, so she settled for watching helplessly as the Decepticon cornered her brother._

"_Megatron will be pleased," the Decepticon said, musing to himself. It was practically impossible to discern the large being from the dark alley; he was, after all, painted black._

"_Wh-what a-are you gonna do…do w-with me?" Noah stuttered out._

_The Cybertronian didn't reply; instead, it reached out, grabbing him up in his robotic hand. Her brother's cry for her—"Lyra, help me!"—was matched with her own scream of "Noah!" The pain of her lips ripping open and losing her brother causing her voice to raise a few octaves._

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><p>Lyra was alone when she awoke, the scream passing her lips for a few moments before she had the thought to cover her mouth with her hand, muffling the sound. The dream—it was so real! Tears slid down her face, unintentionally making her skin sticky and grimy.<p>

The seat vibrated underneath her, and it was all it took to remind Lyra that she wasn't alone: she was inside Bumblebee. Her screaming stopped as sobs climbed their way up her throat. In the back of her mind, she heard herself muttering "Noah…Noah…Noah…" over and over.

"Lyra? Are you alright?"

Her hazel eyes instinctively flew up to the speaker, landing on Mikaela. Sam was next to her, peering down at Lyra in concern.

"Y-yeah. Ni-nightmare," she whispered her throat stinging slightly after her screaming fit. Yet another thing to add to her extensive list of injuries.

Mikaela looked at her skeptically, but said nothing on the matter. She placed a comforting hand on her shoulder before sliding into the passenger seat. Lyra briefly wondered what scene in the movie she was in, but dismissed it quickly.

She felt hollow, as if something bad had happened to her world, to Noah. Lyra prayed that her dream was just that, a dream, and not reality. However, as Bumblebee pulled out onto the road, she noticed that her lower neck region burned. It reminded her of the necklace she wore…

"We're going to meet the others," Mikaela suddenly said, disrupting Lyra's wondering thoughts. "While you were sleeping, they landed."

"Oh," she said, rubbing at her neck, "okay."

It was quiet again. The brunette didn't want to know what was going on in her companions' heads for fear that they were thinking about her and her nightmare.

"Who's Noah?"

Her fears were justified.

"You don't have to answer that, Ly."

That hurt. Noah called her Ly. So did her dad. Now Mikaela.

"No," she said, shaking her head. "It's fine, 'Kaela. Sam was just curious."

That was it. No elaboration. No answer to the boy's question. And absolutely no explanation as to why she had opted to shorten the raven haired girl's name.

Lyra needed to keep herself safe; her safety was Noah's safety. Getting attached to Sam and Mikaela, sharing things with them, it would make it harder to leave later. There was no way, she told herself, that she would let her little brother get caught up with them, caught up with the war. For now, Lyra would get the Autobots to help her find Noah, and that was that.

Bumblebee pulled into an alley, the eerie similarity to the one in her dream making the brunette shiver. She was distracted, however, by the vehicles driving towards them. The three teenagers peered out the windshield curiously. Slowly, ever so slowly, they got out of the Camaro, Mikaela having to help the injured teen out as to prevent any more injuries.

Once they were out, and the vehicles had driven to an uncomfortably close distance, they began to transform. Before, when her mind had been crowded with pain, Lyra hadn't noticed how breathtaking the whole process was. Watching it on a television screen was nothing compared to this.

Optimus Prime, the tallest and most captivating of the group, kneeled before them, his presence commanding attention as any born leader should.

"Are you Samuel James Witwicky, decedent of Archibald Witwicky?" he asked, his voice carrying through the alley.

"They know you're name," Mikaela whispered, stuck between being awestruck and utterly flabbergasted.

She was more or less ignored, the only response to her words being the tightening of Lyra's grip on her shoulder as the brunette attempted to keep herself from falling over.

"Yeah," Sam breathed.

"My name is Optimus Prime. We are autonomous robotic organisms from the planet Cybertron," the blue and red leader introduced.

"But you can call us Autobots for short," another Autobot cut in. Ratchet, Lyra thought his name was.

"Autobots," Sam said, testing the words out.

"Autobots from Cybertron," Lyra said to herself, digging up an old memory between herself and Noah in which he tried to explain how ludicrous the idea that they were alone in the Universe was. "Makes since. The closest thing we have to them is quantum mechanics, and even that's just a theory."

"What?" Mikaela asked, turning to her friend in confusion. She had been the only one to pay attention to what the brunette was saying, and Lyra just blinked, glancing at her dark haired companion in confusion. She had, as was usual when speaking about scientific topics, gone to her own little world.

"What's cracking, little bitches?"

The trio turned around to see a short, silver robot flip onto a car, resting his arms behind his head.

"My first lieutenant. Designation, Jazz," Optimus said, answering the humans' unspoken question: who the hell is this guy?

"This looks like a cool place to kick it." Mikaela and Lyra exchanged disgusted looks. Cool? A smelly alley? Seriously?

"What is that? How did he learn to talk like that?" Sam asked, clueless as to how an advanced alien race could be so…so..._that_.

"We've learned Earth's languages through the World Wide Web," the Prime said, straightening up. That explained it…

He gestured to the black bot behind them (Lyra's heart instantly started pumping as she saw the black paint, but she relaxed when she realized it wasn't the Decepticon from her dream). "My weapons specialist, Ironhide."

The mech's arms shifted, revealing twin cannons on each individual limb, and he aimed them at the group. "You feeling lucky, punk?"

"Easy, Ironhide," the leader warned.

"Just kidding. I just wanted to show them my cannons." The similarity between Ironhide and a small child was amusing to Lyra, but she kept her thoughts to herself. Pissing off the giant robot that was equipped with cannons wasn't the smartest idea, she told herself.

Sam chuckled nervously as Optimus introduced Ratchet who was…sniffing the air. "The boy's pheromone level suggests he wants to mate with one of the females," he said, not understanding that what he was insinuating was relatively taboo.

Sam and Mikaela shifted uncomfortably; they knew which female Ratchet was referring to.

A jet of light scanned over the teens, lingering on Lyra for a bit longer than the rest. "My scans indicate that the smaller female has numerous shards of silicon dioxide embedded in her subcutaneous layer, a minor concussion, and a particularly deep laceration in her side. I believe this would be a situation to take her to a 'hospital'," Ratchet said, reading off Lyra's injuries without missing a beat.

"No! No hospitals," the brunette said, shaking her furiously before she realized how bad of an idea that was. Her vision swam slightly, her grip on Mikaela tightening again. "I-I'm fine. Really. And my name is Lyra, not 'the smaller female'."

"Well, Lyra, leaving your wounds unattended could result in extensive and irreparable damage. Not to mention offlining," Ratchet said, pushing the issue. Why were humans so stubborn?

"I don't care. I-I can't go to the hospital. Not now; I can't go yet." She felt so helpless. How could she say that she needed to stay so that they could get her little brother back without sounding mean? Did it even matter? She'd go to the end of the world and back for Noah; sounding rude to a bunch of robots was nothing compared to that. "M-my brother…"

It was as far as she could go, not being able to say anymore. If she uttered the words out loud, Lyra knew she'd either breakdown crying or go on an enraged tantrum. The Decepticons had her brother; it wasn't a dream: she knew, deep down, that it was real. The thought of how insane it sounded never crossed her mind because, she knew that, when it came to her brother, she _was _insane. The lengths she'd go to wasn't something any sane person would even think of doing.

"What of your sibling?" the yellow Hummer asked, confused about what the girl's kin had anything to do with her current physical condition.

Mikaela, having connected her new friend's current distress to her earlier breakdown after she awoke from her nightmare in the way that only a woman could, thought a single word—a name—and her rarely seen compassionate side flared up.

"Lyra's brother can't see her like this," Mikaela said, trying to come up with a reason for her words. Was Lyra's brother older or younger than her? "Er, it would affect him, uh, negatively. H-he looks up to her, and, seeing her like this, it would traumatize him."

_That was lame_, the dark haired girl thought, looking to the hazel eyed girl whom was leaning heavily on her and shrugged weakly. Lyra looked like she wanted to say something, but the giant robots interrupted them.

"Very well then," Ratchet said, obviously miffed by having his advice ignored.

Optimus continued his introductions, as there was only one 'bot left to introduce. "You already know your guardian, Bumblebee. "

Said robot started punching the air, mimicking the boxing moves Lyra had seen the local 'bad boys' use on each other on her way to school. 'Bee was so cute, she mused. "_**Check on the rep—yes, second to none.**_"

"Bumblebee, right?" Sam asked to be sure. "So you're my guardian, huh?" The bipedal Camaro nodded before Ratchet stepped forward, shining a red beam of light at his neck, causing the 'bot to cough in pain.

"His vocal processors were damaged in battle. I'm still working on them," he explained, before setting his optics on the smaller female, having been thinking over all the information the internet could provide him. "As for you, I suppose I have the medical supplies required to tend to your injuries."

Before any of the humans could say anything, the Autobot transformed back to his Alt mode. They didn't know what was supposed to happen now; did they just stare at him or something?

A few seconds later, a blue flash could just barely be seen through the tinted windows, and the door opened. A tall, slender man stepped out, carrying a medical bag. He looked at Lyra and gestured for her to follow him.

Though she knew that it was okay to follow—he was, after all, an Autobot medic—Lyra had her doubts. He was a robot, did he even _know _about the human anatomy? Did he even know what being a doctor to humans was?

A brief conversation with Noah popped in her head.

"_Ratchet'd probably be the best doctor on Earth," Noah said, a slightly fanatic grin pulling at his chubby cheeks. "But he doesn't tend to the hurt humans."_

"_Why?" Lyra asked, confused. Weren't Autobots supposed to help humans?_

"_Because his bedside manners are worse than a starving lion's."_

The memory didn't quell her worries at all.

"Follow," Ratchet said bluntly, having noticed that the female had remained with her companions.

Nervously, Lyra did as was commanded, but not before looking back at the duo she had escaped alien robots with. For a second, she wondered what it was that they saw, a pathetic looking girl who was practically rags, perhaps.

The back of the Hummer was opened, revealing what Lyra imagined the inside of an ambulance looked like. She was ordered to sit, and she did so, not entirely out of respect, but of partial fear. What would happen if she pissed him off?

Lyra didn't want to know.

"Remove your jacket."

If it had come from any other guy, Lyra would've tried to punch the once-robot-now-human doctor. _How did he do that anyway?_ she thought, not being able to recall anything from her extensive conversations with her little brother. One painful stroll down memory lane was enough, thanks.

The denim jacket peeled off noisily, forcing Lyra to cringe. Imagine the damage her blood had done to Mikaela's clothes. She refused to think into it much.

As Ratchet rummaged through his bag, the brunette listened to Optimus' voice, and was slightly put out to know that she couldn't be there for the recap of Megatron's rise (and accidental fall) of power.

A giggle escaped her lips as Optimus explained that the reason Sam was sucked into all of this was because of eBay. Ratchet, who had been gently pulling out the glass shards from her arms and back, sent her a reproachful look. Didn't she realize that one wrong move could damage her more? Honestly!

"Sorry," Lyra murmured meekly. In truth, she didn't know why she had laughed. Why were things funny to her when she knew that Noah was in danger? The thought made her stomach sick. She imagined what the Decepticons could be doing. A picture of her brother strapped to a lab table, that small and creepy 'Con digging around in his brain, trying to unearth everything he knew about them, flashed In her head. She paled.

"Your face seems to have changed color; are you unwell?" Ratchet asked, not entirely familiar with the concept of being 'lost in space'.

"I'm fine," Lyra said, adding a 'Noah's not' in her head.

"Very well." And the robot returned to his work. Surprisingly, he had moved on to the gash in her side while she was zoned out. Only a small layer of fabric remained before he could begin mending it.

Lyra watched as he examined it. His optics roamed over it repeatedly, most likely scanning it for any infections or stray debris that had somehow lodged itself in it. He seemed satisfied, for he turned back to his bag and pulled out a curved needle and string. Wait, she needed stitches?

To calm her mind (Lyra had never liked needles), she told herself that she hadn't felt any pain while he had pulled glass out of her skin; she probably wouldn't feel a thing. How wrong she was.

"Ow!" she yelped, trying to move away, but an arm stopped her. Her hazel eyes landed on the electric blue that were Ratchet's optics, and she stopped moving. Those eyes…they looked just like…no, they couldn't…could they?

"If you thought that hurt, then you should keep moving; I'm sure having a needle rip through your epidermis would feel just _lovely_," the medic all but snarled, glaring at her.

Lyra sagged slightly, giving up on her efforts to escape. How long had she writhed in pain much more intense than this?_ Longer_, she told herself, _lots longer._

The needle went through her skin again, sealing the torn external organ shut. It felt gross, the string pulling through her. Nothing she ever wanted to experience again.

When Ratchet cut the string, Lyra was relieved. When he wrapped her side up with gauze, she practically sagged. Everything sharp and pointy was gone now. It was great. Grabbing Mikaela's jacket, the brunette leapt out of the Hummer. While the grimy piece of cloth made her feel dirty, it still protected her against the elements of night, and, for that, she was grateful.

Lyra looked at Ratchet for a moment, wanting to tell him about Noah, but she couldn't bring herself to do it. Not yet, anyway.

"What'd I miss?" she asked once she'd walked back to the two teenagers. They glanced at each other before looking at her.

"We need my grandfather's glasses," Sam said, leaving out the entire All-Spark-doom-end-of-human-race thing.

"And where are they?" Lyra asked even though she knew the answer. She was halfway through the movie, she thought. If she was going to get the Autobots' help, she'd need to work up the courage to tell them soon.


	6. Interlude 1 Tokyo Bay

**_Author's Note:_****Sorry for the late update, and I'm even more sorry that this is so short. It's just an interlude, and it's importance will be revealed later on. ;)****  
><strong>

**Anyway, I'm not sure when I'll update again (T-T), but it'll hopefully be soon. School ends in three weeks, so it should be soon. Hopefully. If I don't get lazy. *sigh***

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><p><strong>Interlude 1<strong>

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><p><em><strong>Tokyo Bay<strong>_

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><p>Kyo Fujioka was a fisherman. He took pride in bringing home the catch every day to his wife and six children. It didn't matter that he was just an elderly man who was missing his left leg. Nor did it mater that his right eye had absolutely no use to him. He was a fisherman and a damn good one at that.<p>

Having lived practically his whole life on the sea, Kyo had seen his fair share of oddities: two headed sharks, eyeless dolphins, giant squids. But he never, not once in his pathetically long life, saw something as strange as what he saw that night.

A large meteorite. Flying towards his boat. At break neck speed.

The old man practically had a heart attack right then and there!

But the meteorite didn't hit him. No, it flew over his boat, landing about a kilometer away from where he was. The impact created a large wave that sent his boat towards the shore.

Kyo had to hold on for dear life.

That was too close for comfort. No more late night fishing, he told himself, sending the bubbling water a shocked look. What the heck was that?

_A meteor, you dolt_, Kyo told himself as he steadied himself. It was so far away now. His mind briefly flashed to the news about the United States having similar situations with meteors crashing into its streets. He supposed that Japan was lucky that all it did was land in the bay.

Kyo hoped, however, that no damage came to his beloved boat, Kagume. There would be hell to pay if she was harmed in any way.

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><p><strong>So, please review. And, yay for my being uncreative and using japanese names from three of my favorite animes~! Those were Ouran High School Host Club (Fujioka), Fruits Basket (Kyo) and Inuyasha (Kagume).<strong>

**On another note, i started a new story (not my smartest idea -_-'), and it's a Host Club story. Anyone like Ouran High School Host Club and want to check it out? :3**


	7. Ch5 Guilty Pleasures and Sudden Emotions

**Disclaimer: I only own the Montez family. **

**Author's Note: I'm ashamed. Summer's more than halfway over and I haven't written anything. I suck. I really do. . I've been too caught up in reading other people's amazing fics that I've completely ignored my own. I'm a bad author. D:**

**I'm not sure if anything awesome happens in this chapter (it's still pretty close to the movie), but I have somewhat good news! Yay! The movie shall be finished in one or two chapters and then what I've planned shall come into play! *cue twins***

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><p><strong>Chapter 5<strong>

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><p><em>Guilty Pleasures and Sudden Bursts of Emotion<em>

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><p>The car ride to Sam's house was tense and silent. Lyra sat in the backseat, twiddling her thumbs as she tried to keep herself from poking at her stitches. Sam and Mikaela were holding hands, she had noticed, eyeing the way their fingers interlocked between their seats.<p>

It was a sort of guilty pleasure for her: internally, Lyra was having a fangirl moment as she got to experience the Transformers romance firsthand. The logical part of her brain was telling her to get over it; that she had to worry about Noah. She could fangirl later.

The thought of Noah sent a stabbing pain through her heart. That dream…it was so real. Could it have actually—? No. It couldn't have. It wasn't possible.

_What's possible anymore_, Lyra thought darkly, running her fingers over the leather of Bumblebee's interior. That fact in itself shouldn't have even been possible, so who was she to say that that dream couldn't have been some form of premonition of sorts?

It was dizzying, those thoughts. Lyra kept telling herself none of it was real, that the Transformers weren't real, but a part of her kept trying to tell herself that it was. It was the same part that dominated her mind when something concerned her little brother. But she had always believed in the ways of science, never really being one for religion, and didn't this apply? If she could see it, feel it, _touch_ it, didn't that make this whole ordeal real?

Primus! Why was this all so confusing?

_Wait…Primus?_ Lyra wondered. The name sounded familiar—so, _so _familiar—but she couldn't place why it was. Why did she even think that anyway? _Oh, geez. I'm going insane. That's what this must be, some drug induced hallucination. I must've put up a hell of a fight that the nursing staff at the asylum I'm staying at decided to sedate me. _

It was a logical explanation, but Lyra didn't fancy the idea of being mad. Still, though, the possibility that this was all in her head made her feel a bit more relaxed. But only a bit.

There was still one question though: why, if this was in her head, did Lyra put Noah in danger?

A shudder wracked her body, dread suddenly filling her soul. Could this…really be real?

A part of her hoped it wasn't, while another hoped it was. On one hand, Noah wouldn't really be in danger. On another, it would mean that she was, in fact, crazy.

Lyra rubbed the back of her neck subconsciously as doubt started consuming her. _Is Noah really in danger? Maybe this whole thing is just fake…_ Her fingers brushed against something cold. Her hand froze where they were, her eyes widening. Slowly, she moved her fingers so it brushed against it again. _A necklace?_

Her mind flashed back to the dream. She had been wearing a necklace then too. But Lyra couldn't remember ever actually putting one on before she left her mom's house. And she wasn't wearing it a few moments ago either.

"We're almost there," Sam said from the front seat, drawing Lyra's attention.

"Okay," she mumbled, glancing out the window to watch the houses fly by. The neighborhood they were in was gorgeous. It was neat and…homey. The brunette started feeling something she had never allowed herself to feel before as she realized that this place was where Sam grew up: envy.

"Alright, when we get there," the boy continued, rubbing his face nervously, "I'm gonna run inside and get the glasses. You two j-just stay h-here with them. Okay? Alright?"

"Yeah, fine," Mikaela said, smiling in amusement as Sam got more and more fidgety.

Soon, the trio lapsed back into silence, and Bumblebee drove them into an alley near the boy's house.

_Even the alleys are nice_, Lyra thought.

They climbed out of the yellow Autobot, Sam faster than the two girls due to his nerves. "I need you two to stay here, alright?" he said, as if he hadn't told them the same thing just moments ago. "You gotta stay here and you gotta watch them."

"Okay," Mikaela nodded.

"All of them. You hear what I'm saying?"

"Yeah, okay," the raven-haired girl said, trying to get a word in as Sam continued.

"Five minutes, alright?"

And he was gone.

"Gotta love his communication skills," Lyra said dryly, eliciting a laugh from the mechanic in front of her.

Silence reigned over them a few seconds later, and Mikaela shifted uncomfortably. The hazel eyed teen was busying herself with outlining the chain around her neck with her fingers. There was no charm on it, just a simple silver chain. How strange.

"Lyra," Mikaela said suddenly, turning to face her companion. The girl looked up, taken aback by the serious tone that addressed her.

"Yes?"

"What happened…to Noah?"

Lyra sucked in a breath. "What d'ya mean?"

"You woke up screaming his name, Ly, (—Lyra winced at the nickname—) and you had been kidnapped by Barricade. Something _had_ to have happened to him. "

The brunette looked away, her eyes welling up with tears; she refused to let them fall, though. She wasn't going to cry.

"Sam and I heard you yell 'run' before 'Bee rescued us." Mikaela continued. "I know a lot of people think I'm just another superficial bimbo, but I'm not. I'm not stupid. You were telling Noah to run, weren't you?"

Lyra swallowed the lump in her throat, taking in a shaky breath. Her eyes felt heavy from withholding tears, but she still turned to look at the ravenette. "He was taken by…D-Decepticons." Forcing those words out nearly killed her. She had finally admitted it out loud. She barely registered the sound of shifting gears as she continued. "I was supposed to protect him, 'Kaela. I'm his older sister. I-I failed at protecting him."

"Lyra."

Said girl looked up, her eyes meeting the sparkling blue optics of Optimus Prime.

"We will return your brother to you, Lyra," he said, straightening up from his crouched position now that he had her attention. "But first we need to retrieve the Allspark." The bipedal semi-truck turned to his comrades, nodding his head as he said "Autobots". The group instantly started moving towards Sam's house, and the two human girls were left looking at each other with wide eyes. Hadn't Sam left them in charge of them?

"Wait!" Mikaela called, running after them as they bother reached the same conclusion.

"You can't let anyone see you guys!" Lyra yelled after them, following her companion's lead as her stormy mood was momentarily forgotten.

They arrived as Sam ran over to them. He was practically having a mental breakdown at that moment.

"I told you to watch them!"

"I know," Mikaela said, staring at the remains of his backyard in shock.

"I told you!"

"Okay, you know what? They seem to be in a little bit of a rush!"

"Yeah, Sam. Shouldn't you be getting the glasses right now?" Lyra asked, confused. Her confusion only rose as a small dog started barking.

"No!" Sam yelled, having heard the same thing.

"Awh, is that your dog?" Lyra asked, cooing at how cute it was. She giggled as she watched it do its business on Ironhide. _Oh, boy_…

"Mojo! Mojo! Off the robot! God!"

"Ew, wet," Ironhide grumbled, kicking Mojo away from him as he tried to shake off the urine from his foot.

"No! No! No! No!No!" Sam yelled, picking up his Chihuahua. "Hold on! Okay? Hold on! This is Mojo. This is Mojo! He's a pet of mine, okay? He's a pet."

This didn't seem to calm the weapon's specialist, though, as he took out his cannons, aiming them at the small dog.

"Put the guns away! Put the guns away!"

"You have a rodent infestation," Ironhide growled. "Shall I terminate?"

This was all amusing to Lyra, but she was having trouble focusing on them. Optimus had told her they would bring Noah back. The relief she felt was slightly overwhelming, yet she still couldn't dissipate the constant traces of worry and dread that had made itself known.

If any harm were to come to Noah, it would be her fault.

"I'll go."

Lyra snapped out of her thoughts as Mikaela spoke. It took her a moment to process that the girl had been talking to Optimus and not her.

The sentient giant picked up the girl and carried her to what Lyra assumed was Sam's window.

"Time is short," Optimus said. "Please hurry."

The rest of what was said wasn't audible to her, but Lyra knew the gist of it from the movies. Why was it that she only seemed to pay attention during the most irrelevant parts of the film?

"Er, guys," Lyra said, looking up at the Autobots from where she stood in the middle of the Witwicky yard. "I don't really think you guys are doing a good job at being inconspicuous."

The brunette soon regretted her words, for, in the next moment, the Cybertronians had transformed to their vehicle forms.

"That's not much better…" Lyra was standing between Bumblebee and Optimus, rubbing the back of her neck anxiously. "Guys, if the Witwickys see you, they're gonna freak," she groaned looking up towards Sam's room helplessly.

Sam and Mikaela were looking down at the yard incredulously. Well, Mikaela was. Sam was practically having another breakdown. After a moment, they stepped away from the window, returning to their search.

"Prime," Lyra said, addressing the semi awkwardly, "this is a horrible hiding spot. You might as well just transform back with how out of place you all are."

"Very well," the truck spoke, leaving the human girl perplexed.

_That's gonna take some getting used to…_

The Autobots quickly changed back to their bipedal form, and Optimus made his way to Sam's window. They exchanged a few words while Lyra was practically pulling her hair out with how anxious she was. Her fears about Noah's safety and the fear of getting caught were slowly driving her insane. Weren't Section Eleven or something supposed to be showing up soon?

"Autobots. Fallback."

For some reason, the brunette hid behind a pretty flower bush as if Optimus' words applied to her as well. She didn't know why she'd done it, but she dismissed the thought as a reaction to the events to come. Though the government group wasn't really frightening, Lyra didn't particularly like authority figures. After all, it _was _the authorities' fault that Noah and her were sent to their mothers, and, thus, they wound up in this mess. They wouldn't have even _been_ in California if the Social Worker had just let them be.

A large thud brought the brunette out of her thoughts, and she couldn't stop herself from laughing. Ratchet had run into the power lines, effectively getting electrocuted.

"Wow! That was tingly," Ratchet exclaimed. "You gotta try that!"

Lyra giggled to herself. _So getting electrocuted feels…good?_

"Yeah. That looks fun," Ironhide drawled.

The lights suddenly shut off in the neighborhood, and Lyra felt like running into a corner and hiding. She didn't like the dark. At all. She was usually okay because she had Noah, or there was some form of light source, but there wasn't any at the moment. Well, not until Optimus started shining a beam worthy of a lighthouse into Sam's room.

Yells could be heard from inside, and, soon, Optimus was forced to kill the light to keep Sam's parents from discovering the large humanoid robots that were currently occupying their backyard.

Lyra could faintly hear the voices from inside the home. A smile tugged at her lips as her favorite seen played out. The "masturbation conversation", as she referred to it as, was absolutely priceless.

"Judy, we gotta call the city. We've got a blown transformer!" Sam's dad said. _Oh, the irony_, Lyra mused. "Power poles sparking all over the place… Oh, man. The yards a waste. Trashed! Gone!"

As Mr. Witwicky disappeared from view, Ironhide pulled out his cannons. "The parents are very irritating. Can I take them out?"

"Ironhide!" Optimus scolded. "You know we don't harm humans. What is with you?"

"Well, I'm just saying we could. It's an option."

Lyra listened in on the conversation in amusement. Though it was a bit of a morbid topic, she still found the whole exchange cute.

"OP, a large group of humans are headin' this way," Jazz suddenly said, appearing next to the Autobot leader out of nowhere.

"Autobots, fallback," Optimus said seriously.

With surprising stealth, the Cybertronians quickly retreated from the yard, Bumbleebee taking the longest as he reached over and plucked Lyra up. "'Bee!" she squeaked indignantly.

"**My apol'gies, li'l lady**," 'Bee 'said' playing a clip from an old western film.

Once the two were safely away from Sam's house, the yellow robot gently set down the human girl before transforming into a Camaro. The driver door opened, and she quickly climbed in. The lights on the dashboard were dimming every once in a while, but she didn't comment. She was still in the process of learning the human body's anatomy and physiology; learning anything about how Autobots worked was a little bit more than she could handle.

They had been parked in the same spot for a while (the Autobots no doubt waiting for something to happen) when, all at once, the Cybertronians started up and pulled out onto the road.

"Are…did something happen? Who were those people?" Lyra asked quietly. Bumblebee didn't say anything. Instead, he opted for playing a quiet, smooth jazz radio station. "Thanks, 'Bee. That totally answers my questions."

Lyra assumed that the Camaro didn't answer because he didn't want to worry her. He was probably so confident in the fact that Sam and Mikaela were going to be rescued that he didn't want to cause her any more stress by telling her that the two were in trouble _at the moment_ but wouldn't be in a few minutes.

Sighing, she leaned back in the seat, watching the steering wheel move on its own as she thought, her fingers stroking the jewelry around her neck. She could've sworn that she hadn't been wearing a necklace when she was driving in the car with Noah. And now she suddenly had one on. For some reason, the necklace was also in her dreams, the ones that always had some connection to her little brother.

Now, Lyra wasn't stupid. She was, after all, on the honor roll at her old school, and she was aspiring to be a doctor. But the end result of all her thinking brought her to a conclusion that couldn't at all be possible.

_Waking up in a movie isn't all that possible either_, she thought to herself.

"**Enemies, two o'clock**."

Lyra blinked, coming back to the present as she looked to the right. She could see the group of black vehicles that were Section Eleven (or whatever it was). 'Bee, who was lagging behind the rest of the Autobots, sped up as Optimus and the others transformed. He practically forced Lyra out of her seat so he could transform as well.

The cries and yells of the government officials met her ears as soon as she was out of the Camaro.

"Gentlemen, I want to introduce you to my friend, Optimus Prime," Sam said smugly.

"Taking the children," the Prime growled, "Was a _bad_ move." Sam and Mikaela's kidnappers pulled out guns, as if the small hunk of metal could protect them. "Autobots, relieve them of their weapons."

Lyra, whom had been left on the bridge (much to her irritation), watched the large robotic aliens agilely make their way to surround the black vehicles.

Did they forget that she was a short, easily breakable human that couldn't get down without hurting herself even more than she already was?

Muttering to herself about "stupid metalheads", Lyra huffed and crossed her arms over her chest. She realized that she was pouting like a child but couldn't bring herself to care. This was one of the others scenes she had (somewhat) paid attention to, and she was missing it.

The sound of helicopters was the only thing that forced the brunette to be mature again, and that was only because she knew what was going to happen to 'Bee. A trace of anger coursed through her veins but was quickly eliminated as she reminded herself that she shouldn't care about him. The only person she should be concerned about was Noah.

For someone so concerned about her brother, Lyra didn't notice a black SUV driving away from the bridge with a child pounding against the window.

"**Run, Forrest! Run!**"

"I don't care if you're from a different planet, 'Bee; climbing onto your hand is _not_ the same as running," Lyra said, getting onto the yellow 'bot's hand as quickly as her wounds would allow her.

"**~I love you, you love me~**" 'Bee played happily, slowly sliding her onto the pavement so he could transform.

"There's a reason people stop watching Barney after they turn six, y'know?" she snapped.

The Camaro was unfazed as he set Lyra down on the street below the bridge before shifting into his alt mode. The driver's door popped open and she slid in without hesitation. A split second after she had sat down, the seatbelt flew across her torso and snapped into place.

The squeal of tires was the only thing she heard as she saw Optimus pick up Mikaela and Sam. Lyra wondered briefly why 'Bee was taking her and not the Autobot leader. As many thoughts she had since arriving in this alternate dimension (which was what Lyra had convinced herself this was after pondering the many science fiction novels she had read in her lifetime for a possible conclusion to her predicament should it turn out to _not_ be a dream) were, it was dismissed with only a second of contemplation from the brunette.

The helicopters weren't pursuing them; instead opting for following the giant running robot that was the great Prime.

A cold feeling of dread filled the pit of Lyra's stomach as she remembered what was going to happen next.

_Bumblebee…_

She had to stop him from catching Sam and Mika—no. If 'Bee didn't catch them, then they'd die. But then he'd be captured!

The feeling in her stomach turned colder as she realized something.

She was starting to care.

That wasn't supposed to happen! She was using them for her own personal gain: getting Noah back. Lyra couldn't risk making connections. If this was all a dream, and if she just woke up, then what would she do? It wouldn't be the same.

Or, worse. What if she was put in the position of choosing between them? What if she had to decided which one would live, despite how very unlikely that was? What if they jeopardized her brother's safety? What if she had to choose what was best for her brother—being away from this damned war—and what both of them would want—to stay with the Autobots?

Lyra told herself she would choose what was in Noah's best interest in a heartbeat, but she knew that it would be a choice she would have to struggle with.

"**~Hang on, everybody! It's gonna be a bumpy ride!~**" blared out of 'Bee's radio.

She didn't register what he said until he started transforming. Everything started folding in on itself, and, at the last possible moment before she became a Lyra Pancake, the yellow bot's large robotic arm pulled her out of his morphing alt form.

A loud shriek tore its way out of throat as she was suspended in midair for what felt like eternity but was really only a second. It was accompanied by the screeches of Sam and Mikaela as they fell into the awaiting arms of Bumblebee.

It was a painful impact, and Lyra refused to blame it on her wounds. Though, if she were honest, they weren't doing all that well.

Doubled over in pain, she didn't notice that the helicopters had surrounded them until she heard her two companions screaming. Looking up quickly, Lyra's breath caught in her throat.

Bumblebee was about to be shot.

They were about to shoot him.

The sweetest of all the Autobots.

"_**NO!**_" Lyra cried out, running towards 'Bee. It was futile, she knew, but she couldn't stop the sudden feeling to protect the 'bot.

"WHAT ARE YOU DOING!" she yelled, pushing at someone who was spraying the yellow robot's body with a cold smoke. "STOP IT! HE'S NOT TRYING TO HURT ANYONE!"

She kept pushing and shoving. Lyra even started scratching at one point. Whether or not she bit someone was debatable. She would neither admit nor deny that. The end result was the same as the movie, unfortunately.

There stood that obnoxious government guy, hands on his hips with the smuggest of smirks on his less than appealing mug.

Lyra was roughly led towards the vehicle parked behind him. Sam and Mikaela were behind her, struggling as much as she was.

"And who might you be, sweetheart?" the guy asked, his eyebrows rising as he stared at her with a scrutinizing gaze.

The brunette didn't say anything. Instead, she spat on his face, glaring through the tears that had accumulated with her sudden burst on unexplained worry and protectiveness. This apparently wasn't the right way to get on his good side (who knew, huh?) and he practically had the goon who was holding her thrust her into the back of the car.

Lyra didn't say anything after that. Holding her abdomen tightly, she stared out the window, ignoring everyone as she forced herself to stop crying. 'Bee would be alright. He would be fine.

It scared her how she was worried about Bumblebee now and not her brother.

Her heart rate picked up, more tears welling up in her eyes.

Though she was awake, she was thrust into another dream. Like all the others, it was far from reassuring.

* * *

><p><strong>Author's Note: Not sure if it made sense (half was written a week after summer started and the other half was written now), but I hope it was still good! If you have any suggestions, comments, critiques, or just want to tell me what you wish would happen, let me know! <strong>

**So, what should the dream be? Should it be a Noah's-in-trouble dream or Noah's-scared-dream? Or maybe a Decepticon-who-captured-brother dream?**

**Let me know! :D**


	8. Interlude 2 Stockade

**Disclaimer: I only own the Montez's. **

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><p><strong>Author's Note: Okay, I'm sorry for not updating in forever. I broke my laptop charger, had to wait two weeks to get another, and then broke that one a week later, so I'm kinda laptopless. I didn't want to keep you waiting for so long, so I wrote an interlude. Yay! <strong>

**It's basically from Noah's point of view. This is the would-be dream Lyra would've had if I had written it all in the same chapter. It's just...extended, and from No's P.O.V. Whoo!**

**Again, I'm sorry. It's just that, without my laptop, I can't really watch the movie and write. My sister would get too annoyed if I was pausing the movie every two seconds to write a line down. If anyone knows where I can find the movie written out, that would make my life so much easier and updates would be quicker since I could use my mom's work computer (secretly, of course ;]).**

**Anyway, on with the (short) interlude!**

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><p><strong>Interlude 2<strong>

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><p><em>Stockade<em>

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><p>Noah was terrified. Heck, he was beyond terrified. He was <em>petrified<em>. He couldn't believe that this was happening. Yeah, he had wished that he could have an adventure with the Transformers, but he hadn't actually believed it would happen. No matter how much he actually _had_ wanted it. Now, well, now he was just wishing he had never made that stupid wish on his stupid birthday when he blew out those stupid candles.

If Lyra were here, she'd probably be scolding him for using such a mean word.

_Lyra..._

Tears stung Noah's eyes as he tried to keep himself from crying. The Decepticon who was holding him captive, Stockade, loved to see him cry, and, though he'd never actually say it—he was still a guy, and didn't like being compared to a girl, no matter how much he love her—he had been around his sister too much. There was no way in Heck that he'd ever give the 'Con the satisfaction of seeing him cry.

He'd be getting sent to his room if Lyra heard him say the 'H' word out loud...

What Noah wouldn't do to be able to be sent to his room...

No. Instead he was here.

This stupid SUV.

Noah had seen Lyra for a minute. She was on a bridge. She hadn't been looking at him, though. She had been watching the going-ons below. His favorite scene: Optimus wooping Sector Seven aft.

He had yelled and screamed, pounded against the windows even, but she hadn't heard him.

It stung to know that his heroes were just a few feet away from him and he was still being held captive.

"Lyra..." Noah whispered hoarsely, wrapping his thin arms around his knees. As Stockade drove them who-knew-where, he could feel his hope slowly diminish. It would turn every once in a while in bursts though. Like when he had woken up inside of Barricade. Or when he had first been chased by Stockade in that alley.

He didn't know what triggered it, really. All he knew was that he felt safe at some moments. Like Lyra was holding his hand through it all. Like he wasn't alone.

"Are you crying, fleshy?" the radio burst. The voice was coarse and sickening to the core. There was an amused twinge to it. Stockade.

Noah didn't say anything, just buried his face in his arms.

"You are, aren't you?" He was excited now. "Oh, do you want your mommy?" A crazed laugh.

But Noah didn't care. He kicked the back of the driver's seat angrily. He didn't want his mommy—she wasn't his mommy—he wanted Lyra, his sister.

The kick was met with more laughter. Higher. Louder. Demented. Stockade kept going on, talking about the little momma's boy. Why didn't he run to his mommy? Why didn't he call out his name?

It grated on Noah's nerves. He didn't want his mommy, dang it! He wanted Lyra!

But he didn't say anything. No matter how much he wanted to, he couldn't.

Even though he was only eight, he was still smart. Not Lyra-booky smart. More like Dad-street smart. He had enough sense to know that the Decepticons wanted him for something, and they'd probably want Lyra too. She was safe for now. He didn't need to put her in danger because he couldn't control his anger.

Still, though...

He felt like Lyra was there with him again. Like she was holding his hand and running her fingers through his sandy hair like she always did when he was upset, and the tears return. He buried his face deeper into his arms so he could cry silently, letting them slide down his round cheeks.

He was so scared...

But Lyra was a great big sister. She'd help him. She wouldn't let anyone hurt him.

_Primus_, Noah thought sadly, _why did you have to listen to such a stupid wish?_


	9. Ch6 Heli Rides and Unexpected Reunions

**Disclaimer: I do not own Transformers. I only take credit for non-recognizable characters and slight differentiation in plot.**

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><p><strong>Author's Note: <strong>I have written this chapter in celebration of two things! One: I got my laptop charger! Whoo! And, two: 100 followers on this story! I'd be extremely happy if we can make it to 100 reviews. Since I really want to write a oneshot but have no clue what to write about, I'll write one for the hundredth reviewer. :D

And, I went back and edited a few of the chapters. The only 'major' change I made was to the first chapter. I just added in a few details and changed up some words to fix the flow. ^^

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><p><strong>Chapter 5<strong>

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><p><em>Heli rides and Unexpected Reunions<em>

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><p>"Captain Lennox!"<p>

Kris glanced over his shoulder from where he was walking with Epps and Will to see a suit approaching them with a haste in his step.

"We need you and your team to come with us right now!" the suit exclaimed. "Let's go!"

The men exchanged glances before rushing off towards the awaiting car.

_So much for going home..._ Kris thought bitterly.

* * *

><p><em>Noah…<em>

Blinking groggily, Lyra sat up in her seat. Well, she tried to. Something was holding her down. And there was something covering her ears too. Looking down, she saw that a type of seatbelt was keeping her in place.

"—who knew?" Sam said, laughing humorlessly.

"What the…?" Lyra said, furrowing her brows in confusion.

"Good to see you're awake, Sleeping Beauty," a very amused voice said. Looking to her left, the brunette saw that it was Mikaela who had spoken. Her expression was a mixture of exhaustion, irritation, and relief, as if she couldn't decided what to feel.

"W-where are we?" Lyra grumbled as she yawned. She tried to stretch out her body, arching he back as much as the seatbelt would allow.

"In a helicopter on the way to the Hoover Dam," a blond woman answered, smiling politely. She had an Australian accent, Lyra noted, just now noticing that they weren't alone. Sam was there, seated on the other side of Mikaela. A blond woman and dark skinned man sat across from them.

"Oh," she said, glancing down awkwardly.

"I'm Maggie," the blond, Maggie, said.

"Nice to meet you, I'm Lyra." Awkward smile.

"Like the constellation?" Polite interest.

"Yeah. Mom was an astronomy freak." Half hearted shrug.

"That's cool." Equally awkward smile.

"I guess." Pathetically masked boredom.

"Uh, this is Glenn." Gesture to chubby man next to her.

"Hey, I'm Glenn." Awkward wave.

"Hi, Glenn." Awkward smile.

And it was quiet from there. Lyra was too busy thinking over her recent dream-thing about Noah. Mikaela and Sam were conversing quietly about Bumblebee. Maggie and Glenn were bickering about what could be waiting for them at the Hoover Dam.

This one was different somehow. It was much more intimate, like it wasn't just onesided. Lyra could swear on her life that Noah knew she was there to some degree. He was responding to her attempts at comforting him. That had to mean something!

_Maybe this thing can be controlled_, Lyra mused. _Whatever this thing is._

Her heart and mind kept going back and forth on her situation. It just seemed so _real_. And Noah—Jesus! Noah; her heart couldn't accept that this wasn't real. The emotions ripping through her were too strong to be a figment of her imagination, a dream. Her mind, though, was insisting that this couldn't possibly be real. It was adamant in saying that it had created this, that it had weaved this whole thing up.

Right when Lyra finally thought that she had made a decision, something just made her doubt. What if she was in a coma? What if, by accepting that this was real, she was accepting being a comatose vegetable for the rest of her life? But what if this was, in fact, real? What if there was a legitimate reason for this all happening?

"Don't think too hard, your brain cells might die of exhaustion," Mikaela teased, bumping her elbow into Lyra's.

"Huh?" the brunette uttered, blinking rapidly as she snapped out of her thought induced stupor. "I was—what?"

"Hey," the gearhead said seriously, "we're all worried about 'Bee. Don't let it get to you."

Guilt consumed Lyra. How had she forgotten about that crazy 'Bot? "Uh, yeah," she said, swallowing nervously. "Tha-that wasn't what I was thin-thinking about, actually. I-I mean, I wish we could do something, bu—"

"But Noah, right?" Mikaela supplied, smiling in understanding. "Yeah. I get it. I guess I just kind of forgot that you have more riding on this than we do."

"Not really," Lyra sighed, watching Sam talk to Glenn about eBay while Maggie rolled her eyes. "If the Decepticons get the All Spark, then everyone is screwed. Yeah, my brother's in the grasp of imminent doom right now, but so is the rest of the world."

"But the rest of the world doesn't know that," the black haired beauty insisted. "You do. And you know what could happen to your little broth—"

"I get it," Lyra said sharply, her fists clenching tightly.

"Right. Sorry."

"No, it's fine. I'm just a bit—I don't want to think about it."

"I know. I'm sorry. I wasn't thinking."

The two girls sat in silence then. Lyra chose to stare down at the ground below while Mikaela listened In on the conversation currently circulating the helicopter. The brunette wasn't particularly scared of heights, but she didn't like not being stable. She could trust the Autobots not to drop her, but this helicopter wasn't very reassuring.

"It's not that," Lyra said eventually, causing the ravenette to look at her in confusion. "You _were_ thinking. You were just trying to make me see something I've been avoiding looking at."

"What d'ya mean?" Mikaela asked, running a hand through her hair absently.

"I don't want to accept that this is happening," Lyra whispered quietly. It was so quiet that the mechanic barely heard her. Barely.

* * *

><p>The historical significance of the Hoover Dam was something Lyra had read up on for a US History assignment. Her teacher, Mr. Thacker, had given her a B- even though it was very detailed and had numerous annotations and references. His reasoning was "It's a 500 word essay, Miss Montez, not a trip to a history museum". Needless to say, he was not a favorite instructor of hers.<p>

Thus, it was such a shame that Lyra's first trip to such a monument would be because the government had hijacked them in an attempt to learn everything they knew about aliens.

"Whoa," Lyra said to herself, looking out at the view. She slowed down slightly as she walked besides Sam, Mikaela on his other side. She didn't quite have an opinion on Sam: he was just a socially awkward teenage boy on the ride of his life.

"Hey, kid," an agent said. Lyra thought his name was 'Simon'. "I think we got off to a bad start, huh?" He put his hand on Sam's shoulder. "You must be hungry? You want a latte? HoHo? Double venti macchiato?"

"Where's my car?" Sam said angrily, glaring at the agent. Lyra and Mikaela backed him up by throwing out glares of their own.

"Son, I need you to listen to me very carefully," another agent, a bald one this time, said. "People can die here. We need to know everything you know. We need to know it now."

"Okay," Sam nodded. "But first, I'll take my car, my parents. Maybe you should write that down." He looked at Mikaela suddenly as a thought struck him. "Oh, and her juvie record. That's got to be gone. Like, forever."

Lyra smiled slightly. She felt happy for her somewhat friend for finding a guy who cared about her enough to bargain the fate of the world for her juvie record. Well, along with his car and parents.

"Come with me. We'll talk about your car," the bald agent said as Sam and 'Simon' had a staredown.

"Thank you," Mikaela whispered to Sam as they started following behind the agent. Lyra walked ahead of them, not wanting to feel like a third wheel by being near their...togetherness.

She was looking around at the scenery to keep herself occupied. Out of the corner of her eyes, she could see Sam and Mikaela holding hands and whispering into each others ears. She quickly averted her gaze to something else and was met with a moment of confusion.

What that her...

"Dad?" Lyra said to herself. She was a few yards away, and he was facing away from her so that she could only see him from a side view, but that was definitely him. Something about seeing hium triggered a turmoil of emotion deep inside of her. Her throat tightened painfully as she tried to keep tears from gathering in her eyes. "Daddy!" she yelled, running towards him.

The soldiers looked at her in confusion. As she got closer, recognition donned on the face of one of the men, and he stepped closer. His face was dirty and coated with sweat, and his hair, which was usually long, was cropped much shorter, but still looked slightly disheveled.

"Lyra?" the man asked, struck.

"Daddy!" Lyra called, practically jumping into his arms. She buried her face in his chest, her arms wrapping around his waist feebly. Her breathing was ragged, and her words came out unsure. "D-dad, they t-took Noah!"

"What?" Her father's hands, which had been wrapped tight around her small form, slackened considerably as he processed her words. "Who took him? What happened? Where's Noah?"

"The D-Decepticons," the brunette whimpered, choking back a sob as she tried to force her words to come out understandable. "Th-they...we were in a crash, and they just...we ran...he ran..._God_._"_

"Montez," one of the soldiers, a dark skinned man wearing a red hat, said. "This your girl?"

"Yeah. Yeah, Epps. My daughter, Lyra," Kris said absently, trying to absorb everything. What were these 'Decepticons'? They were in a crash? Running? From what?

"Ly." He felt his daughter flinch as a black haired girl approached them. She was trying to be soothing, placing a hand on Lyra's shoulder somewhat awkwardly. "Calm down. Optimus said they'd get him back."

'Optimus'? Who was 'Optimus'? Who the heck was this chick?

"Y-yeah," Lyra said shakily. "Y-you're right. He did. He'll keep his promise. I know he will." She nodded to herself, untangling herself from her father. "I know he will," she whispered to herself.

* * *

><p>"All right, here's the situation," the curly haired agent said. "You've all had direct contact with the NBEs."<p>

"NBEs?" The dark skinned soldier, Epps, asked. Lyra, who hadn't moved from her father's side, was standing behind him, equally as confused.

"Non-Biological Extraterrestrials," the agent provided. "Try and keep up with the acronyms."

_Sorry we didn't get the memo_, Lyra thought, too tired to say it out loud. It was a bit too snarky for her current mood. While she tried to stay positive, a feeling of dread was etched inside of her.

"What you're about to see is totally classified," the bald agent called back. What the names of these agents were was totally lost on Lyra. Honestly, the world could end and she wouldn't even notice.

Wait, that's what she was helping the Autobots try to prevent... _Right_.

The sight of a frozen Megatron was daunting. From a scientific stand point, the only thought she could come up with was "magnificent". From the stand point of someone who knew they were going to be up against him, the thought was "we're fucked".

"Dear God. What is this?" the Secretary of Defense gasped.

"We think," the agent continued, "when he made his approach over the north pole, our gravitational field screwed up his telemetry. He crashed in the ice, probably a few thousand years ago. We shipped him here to this facility in 1934."

"We call him NBE One," 'Simon' said.

"Well, sir, I don't mean to correct you on everything you think you know," Sam cut in, "but, I mean, that's Megatron."

"Yeah, the big, bad Decepticon leader," Lyra mumbled under her breath, blatantly gawking at the giant robot. He was _huge_. Honestly, she was probably the size of his pinky finger! _Possibly_, she thought, eying up the 'small' phalanx.

"He's the leader of the Decepticons," Sam elaborated.

"He's been in cryostasis since 1935," 'Baldy', as Lyra had come to refer to the agent as in her head, informed. "Your great-great-grandfather made one of the greatest discoveries in the history of mankind."

"Fact is, you're looking at the source of the modern age," 'Simon' bragged. "The microchip, lasers, spaceflight, cars—all reverse-engineered by studying him. NBE One. That's what we call it." The man got close to Sam's face, enunciating his words clearly.

"And you didn't think the United States military might need to know that you're keeping a hostile alien robot frozen in the basement?" The Sec. Def. asked incredulously, walking over to 'Baldy' as he alternated between glaring at the agent and staring at the Decepticon leader.

Kris' facial expression didn't change as he looked around. He completely agreed with the Sec. Def. Whatever the hell this thing was, it was responsible for the taking of Noah. Right? Kris definitely wasn't a genius, but he could put two and two together fairly easily. If these 'Decepticons' were the ones who took his son, and this 'Megatron' was their leader, then it was responsible. Right?

The robot _had_ been frozen for a good seven decades. There was no way it could just go, "Hey, tiny robot minions, I feel like doing something bad that really has no point behind it. Go out and kidnap a little human boy". Could it?

"So why Earth?" Lennox asked, craning his neck to see more of the metallic man.

"The All Spark," Lyra answered, glancing at every part of Megatron. She was trying to commit his anatomy to memory, making comparisons between Cybertronians and Humans.

"All Spark? What is that?" The Sec. Def. asked.

"Well, yeah, they came here looking for some sort of cube-looking thing," Sam said. "Anyway, Mr. NBE One here, AKA Megatron," he emphasized the last word, looking pointedly at 'Simon', "that's what they call him, who's pretty much the harbinger of death, wants to use the Cube to transform human technology to take over the universe. That's their plan."

"Are you sure about that?" 'Simon' asked.

"Yeah."

The two agents exchanged looks, causing the three teenagers to furrow their brows.

"You know where it is, don't you?" Mikaela asked, glancing between them.

"Follow me," 'Baldy' said. He didn't wait for acknowledgment of his statement as he walked off, expecting them to listen.

* * *

><p>The All Spark gave Lyra chills. It wasn't bad chills, though. It made her feel...energized. Her hands twitched as she got closer to the window. Her mind was far from the small room she was in, oblivious to the going-ons around her.<p>

Her gaze was locked on the Cube, as was her mind. The markings engraved in it were hard to see from her standpoint, but they made the hair on her skin rise. She didn't stop moving away until she was practically pressed up against the glass.

That Cube...it felt like...was it singing? That noise...it was calling... Was the Cube the reason she was there? That couldn't be possible. Oh, who the hell was she to decide what was possible? As far as she knew, being in a movie wasn't possible.

_One step forward, and a million steps back_," Lyra thought bitterly. She was just starting to get used to the idea of this being real, and she gets blindsided by another factor.

How was her father here? He wasn't in that car accident. He wasn't with them. How could he possibly have been there? He was stationed in Qatar!

But, wait, hadn't Noah said something related to Transformers about that...?

"_Dad's gone off to war," Lyra deadpanned, staring blankly at her younger brother. "Why are you happy about that?"_

_Noah laughed, practically bouncing in his seat. "Because, at the beginning of Transformers, that's where the soldiers are stationed!"_

"_You're such a fan," she mumbled, shaking her head as she facepalmed. _

So did that mean that her dad...he was _there_ for the beginning of the movie? But why didn't he know? Why was he confused on what a Decepticon was? He was just as big a fan of the movie as Noah was!

Unless...

_He doesn't know_, Lyra thought. He was here, but he _wasn't_. This place must be what's real to him. To her and Noah, though...

"Lyra."

Said girl's head snapped over to look at Sam. The boy was giving her a strange look, his hand gripping her arm lightly. "What?"

"C'mon. We're moving on to another room."

"Oh. Right."

* * *

><p>She didn't want to be here. She could practically taste the apprehension in the air. This was where the little Deceptibot died.<p>

Absently, Lyra rubbed her collar bone. It was steadily growing colder and colder, and her body was trying to warm it up by adding heat from friction. She didn't notice, though. Her father was sending her worried glances as he noticed the look on her face.

She was desperately trying to find a way out of the room, but there was none. The door was sealed, and there were no windows. The little Nokia phone was sitting inside the glass containment box, waiting.

This didn't sit well with her.

"We're able to take the Cube radiation and funnel it into that box," 'Simon' said, flipping some switches.

Lyra could feel the Cube acting up as its power was drawn into the room. She was suddenly aware of how cold her collar was and pulled her hand back. The box started to glow, and the phone was zapped.

She felt like hurling.

The phone came to life, transforming into a small 'bot.

Fear. That's all she felt. It was a foreign feeling, like it wasn't her own.

The 'bot slammed into the walls of the box, causing some of the people in the room to jump.

The fear kept growing.

Lyra could taste something metallic in her mouth. It wasn't blood. No, it was more like bile.

"Mean little sucker, huh?" 'Simon' asked tauntingly.

"That thing is freaky!" Maggie exclaimed.

The fear seemed to escalate as one of the soldiers tapped the glass.

"Lyra? You alright?" Mikaela whispered, touching the brunette's elbow to get her attention. "You look green."

"No," she croaked. The fear was suffocating her. Instinctively, she went to run a hand across her neck and froze when she felt the cool metal that hung there loosely. The necklace was back? She didn't have time to think about the significance this disappearing piece of jewelry held.

"Kind of like the itty-bitty Energizer Bunny from hell, huh?" 'Simon' continued on.

The 'bot started shooting at the glass. It even sent out a missile. It was so _scared_.

"He's breaking the glass," 'Baldy' sighed.

Dread intensified as Lyra saw 'Simon's' finger move toward a button.

"No!" She exclaimed as the little 'bot was zapped. She stared at the poor dead creature sadly. All of the fear washed away. The dread returned to 'normal'. The apprehension disappeared, as did the cold feeling around her neck. The light weight of the necklace was gone as well. "Why would you do that?" Lyra whispered, her hand covering her mouth as she tried to keep the sudden anguish she felt at bay.

"Why does it matter?" 'Simon' asked obnoxiously.

"'Why does it—' It matters because you killed him!" she growled, glaring angrily at the snobby agent.

"In case you didn't notice, little girl, that thing would've broken the glass and killed us all. Or were you to busy thinking how cute it was to notice its killer weapons?"

"With all due respect, _Sir_," her father said through gritted teeth, "I'd appreciate it if you wouldn't talk down to my daughter."

Lyra ignored him as she just stared at the agent incredulously. "He was _scared_. How would you react if you woke up in a room surround by a bunch of strange beings that were so much bigger than you?"

"He's kind of already done that," Mikaela butted in, smirking as she remembered the agent's reaction to seeing the Autobots.

"Look, girlie," 'Simon' snarled. He stopped his train of thought as the lights flickered ominously and faint explosions were heard.

"Gentlemen, they know the Cube is here," the Secretary of Defense said.

'Baldy' ran over to an intercom and slammed his hand on a button; "Banacheck. What's going on?"

"_Well, the NBE One hangar has lost power..._" a man answered.

"What?!"

"_...and the backup generator is just not gonna cut it."_

"Do you have an arms room?" One of the soldiers asked urgently as Lyra inched closer to her dad, one of her hands gripping onto his sleeve tightly as the other wrapped around her abdomen. Something told her that she was going to be in for another world of pain...

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><p><strong>Author's Note:<strong> Please, tell me what you think. The next update might not be for a while since I'm trying to juggle school, clubs, fanfiction, and a social life. I appreciate reviews so much, but, if you only leave one worded reviews, I don't know what to fix or improve. Constructive criticism means the world to me. :)

Until next time!


	10. Ch7 Metamorphs and Destruction

**Author's Note: **So, I finally updated. I'm actually ahead in homework (for once!), so I thought I'd finish this up. It's written differently. I kinda wanted to experience with different kinds of styles and organizations, so this is the result.

Also! I wrote a oneshot called Wastelands. It's basically a mini "what happened" after the mysterious meteor landing in the Tokyo Bay. It doesn't really go into details, just gives you a sort of "Who Was It" answer. Some of you already guessed, and it's not really a secret. I tried to incorporate some humor into it, so check it out. :)

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><p><strong>Chapter 7<strong>

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><p><em>Metamorphs and Destruction<em>

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><p>Everything was black. Complete, utter black. And cold. Lyra hadn't felt this cold since...<p>

Huh. She couldn't remember.

She knew that she had felt this cold before, she just didn't know where.

There was a steady sound in the background, nearly rhythmic.

_Beep_.

Annoying, too.

_Beep_.

What the hell was that?

_Beep. Beep._

God, was it her alarm clock? She needed to get rid of that thing, she told herself. It was giving her a headache.

_Beep._

For the love of—!

"Will someone stop that beeping?" Lyra moaned, trying to curl up into a ball. A painful tug on her arm stopped her, though. Hissing quietly, the brunette examined the source of the sensation, not at all pleased to find a tube coming out of it.

_...the fuck?_

Slowly, experimentally, she tugged gently at the tube. A pained gasp flew past her chapped lips. _Not doing that again_, she thought.

"Stop that." A dainty, pale hand slapped Lyra's hand away.

Lyra glanced up, jumping slightly as she saw a woman in a set of blue pajamas. She hadn't known anyone was with her.

The beeping was louder now, and the woman seemed to be preoccupied with its source. She was scribbling away at a clipboard.

"Where am I?" Lyra asked quietly. She could slowly feel all of her limbs start to burn with the familiar sense of pain. Her words sounded slurred, too, hindered by gauze that was wrapped around a portion of her face.

"Trinity Hospital, CCU," the woman, a nurse apparently, replied, bringing out a tiny flashlight and shining it into her hazel eyes.

The brunette cried out in pain, flinching away. She hissed loudly every part of her body protested.

"Careful," the nurse commanded. "That accident did a number on you. We didn't think that you'd even be conscious for a while."

"Wha—? 'Accident'?" Lyra asked, letting out a pitiful moan as she tried to shift her position on the hospital bed she was on.

"_Don't move_," the nurse said fiercely before she softened her tone; "you don't remember?"

She bit her lip, shaking her head mutely. The action was barely noticeable, seeing as Lyra was trying to limit the pain she felt, but the nurse still saw it.

A sad, sympathetic smile graced the beautiful nurse's features. "Miss Montez," she murmured softly before clearing her throat and speaking louder. "I'm sorry, Miss Montez. Your injuries were sustained in a car accident. Your brothe—"

"What the hell were you thinking!?"

A headache instantly started to form in Lyra's already pounding head. The brunette looked up to see an older woman that just radiated past beauty.

Long, ash blond hair which once could've been a luscious mane was wiry now, protruding from a small head. An angular face was drawn tight around her eyes, appearing as if it were stretched across her defined cheekbones. Plump, pouty lips were twisted in a sneer, made all the more unattractive by their chapped appearance. She was thin, almost sickly so, and her clothing appeared to be draped on her rather than worn.

"Mom?" Lyra asked, her voice cracking as her mind tried to wrap itself around the words 'car accident'.

"You're not allowed to be in here," the nurse said sternly, straightening up as she glared at the woman, Lyra's mother.

"I hope you're happy, you little bitch!" she hissed angrily, leering at the hospitalized girl with bloodshot eyes. She was shaking like a leaf, her bones jutting out of her skin disgustingly.

"What? What d'ya—?"

"Ma'am, I really need you to leave before I call security," the nurse repeated, taking a step closer.

"You fucking whore! Because of you, you're brother is dead!" her mother screeched.

Dead.

The word resonated in Lyra's mind.

She stared at the blindingly white sheets on her bed, shocked out of awareness. She wasn't aware of the nurse calling for security or the angered cries her mother elicited as she thrashed against the bulky men, trying in vain to reach her daughter.

Dead.

_Dead_.

Noah—he was dead.

Questions started to fill her head. Why? When? _How?_

The last thing she remembered was...

What was the last thing she remembered?

She remembered...rocks. No, not rocks: rubble. There was screaming, too. A baby was crying at one point.

What more? She knew there was more, damn it.

Mechanical whirring. There was a lot of that.

Lyra gasped, startled by her revelations. It all came rushing back: Sam, Mikaela, the Autobots, Decepticons, and Noah.

That couldn't have been a dream. It couldn't've.

She remembered leaving the Hoover Dam in a haste after getting Bumblebee. She had wanted to punch the daylights out of the scientists surrounding the Camaro, but had refrained. She had seen the All spark up close, remembered how it had called for her, mesmerized her, practically begged for her to reach out and touch it. She had remembered the words that rang through her mind as she gazed at the strange symbols carved into the Cube: _peace, unity, life, creation, destruction, energy, fate, guardian, prosperity,_ and_ destiny_.

It was information overload, different scenes accompanying each word as it hit her like a ton of bricks.

She was a world in which humans and Autobots lived together, standing side by side with smiles on their faces. Then, she saw a flash of tiny Cybertronians, the term 'sparkling' coming to mind. They were surrounded by indistinct Autobots and human toddlers. Before she could distinguish anything, it changed again. She saw a barren world, devoid of any life. It flashed forwards, and she saw a lively city with walking metal beings. Scene change again, and the same city was burning.

The images hadn't stop coming until the All spark was just a small cube in Bumblebee's hand, his metal digits hiding it from her view.

"You okay?" Mikaela had asked, worried.

"Yeah," she responded, blinking dazedly.

Her father hadn't been there, instead he was off being the soldier. _As usual_.

Lyra remembered being in the car with the All spark, the proximity practically sending her body alight. The energy was intoxicating. Every cell in her body tingled. The cold feeling that she had slowly become accustomed to flared as she felt the raw energy throb in her hands.

She remembered Mission City. A Decepticon Ironhide called "Starcream" had shown up. 'Bee's legs were blown off. She remembered spotting a familiar head of sandy hair: Noah.

She had taken off quickly, running for him, dodging falling shards of broken buildings as she was led by pure instinct. Her encounter with the All spark had her feeling like a human Energizer Bunny.

Unfortunately, she wasn't fast enough. Noah was safe, she remembered, before she was knocked out. She wasn't sure, but she believed it was a stray piece of an exploding vehicle that had obstructed her journey.

After that, she remembered black. Cold. A void. Then the beeping. And, finally, the hospital.

Lyra couldn't have made it all up. Her imagination couldn't possibly be _that _good. No. It was real. All of it. She refused to be it. Noah wasn't dead. He couldn't be. She had promised to keep him safe. There was no way in Hell that she had failed.

She _never_ failed.

Lyra just couldn't let herself fail. It was against her nature to be anything but the best. Hell, it was against her nature to break a promise.

She didn't care what it was she had to do, she decided, she wasn't going to fail. The fact that Noah was already..._that.._.was just a small impediment. Lyra would figure something out. She always did. It didn't matter if she had to drive herself to the point of insanity, she _would_ keep her promise.

The brunette was willing to march all the way to Central Park, play a tune, and retrieve her brother if she had to. If Orpheus and Percy could do it, so could she.

A hand settled on her shoulder, and Lyra looked up with a strangled gasp. She was met with blue—no, purple—no, red, eyes. The colors changed between those three, and it took a moment for her to register that so were the being's other physical appearance.

One minute, it was a bleach blond human, lanky in shape. The next, it was a Cybertronian, Autobot, if the optics were anything to go on. In the next moment, it would grow or shrink or completely change species.

"_We have seen many beings in Our time_," it said. It's voice was...bizarre. It was as if dozens of voices were melded into one. "_You are a strange one._"

Lyra tried to say something, but she just couldn't. She was just so—shocked? Terrified?—she didn't even know.

"_You do nothing without merit_," the voice continued, undeterred by her silence. "_You thrive to be the best, crave recognition. Yet you so thoughtlessly throw it away."_

"F-for my brother," Lyra stuttered out, finding the feat extremely hard. It was like fighting an unseen force.

"_Yes_," the voice agreed, "_for Noah._"

A lump formed in her throat.

"_Such a pure boy. Selfless, naive...the perfect choice._"

"Ch-choice...?"

"_The Decepticons are willing to use any means necessary. Even something so innocent can be crushed in their clutches._"

"D-don't. Please..." Lyra whimpered, her mind being invaded with images she didn't want to see. Noah dead. Noah impaled. Noah in Megatron's clutches. "...stop!"

"_Are you prepared to protect him as you so claimed?_" It asked. "_Are you willing to follow your brother into the face of danger? Willing to sacrifice yourself in the name of Guardianship?_"

A small gasp was all that delayed Lyra from her inevitable "yes".

"_Then your loyalties are your brother's_," the being said, reaching out a hand to touch her collar. No, to touch the necklace that hung there. "_Your power is your heart and devotion. You it wisely._"

Black. It was always black. Only this time, there was a light. A small dot of light in the distant. It started to stretch into a thin horizontal line. It started to grow vertically until a blurry image was what she saw.

She moaned, blinking her eyes. The image cleared, and she saw destruction and chaos. Someone was yelling. They were crying. Pain was all she felt. Pain and confusion. She wasn't at the hospital, that was for sure.

"Lyra, please wake up!" the person yelled. It was so familiar... "We need to go, so…so…so wake up! Wake up or I'll tell dad on you!"

Wait, was that... "Noah?"

There was so much pain. Speaking hurt. _Breathing_ hurt.

"Lyra! Hurry up," the person, Noah, exclaimed, tugging at arm to try to get her to stand up, "you have to get up!"

"Wha—? Wha's goin' on?" Lyra asked groggily as she looked around, taking in her surroundings. Her gaze fell upon a large, imposing metallic being with crimson optics. The blood drained from her face. "You gotta run, Noah," she rasped out, remembering the ever-morphing being's words.

_Are you willing to sacrifice yourself in the name of Guardianship?_

"No! Not without you!" Noah objected as she sat up painfully. "Not without you..." he repeated weakly, tugging at her hand helplessly.

"I-I can't kiddo," Lyra wheezed out as even shifting her shoulder caused her an impeccable amount of pain. "I hurt." She removed her brother's grip on her arm slowly, his little fingers digging themselves deeply into her flesh. "The Decepticons, they don't want me, they want you," she pointed out in exhaustion. "That's why they took you, because you have information they want."

She didn't mention anything on why they were there or how they even had the information, because she didn't have the answer to that. Lyra could try to do the equation all she wanted, but she wouldn't be able to solve it if she didn't have all of the variables.

"You're the one who knows Transformers, No'," she stated, "so you gotta go. Find Prime. He'll know who you are,"

"I'm not leaving witho—" He tried to cut in.

"Damn it, Noah! Get out of here!" Lyra hissed angrily, her hazel eyes flashing dangerously. Fueled with a desire to protect her brother, no matter what, she shoved the small boy away. He stumbled, but managed to stay standing.

Noah was momentarily stunned before he decided to do as she said, albeit reluctantly. He took the Decepticon's attention with him, though, and the wasn't something Lyra wanted.

"You think you can run, fleshling?" the 'Con laughed.

As he took a step towards her brother, Lyra reached out to grab a stray chunk of debris. Mustering all the energy she could, she threw it at the Cybertronian. Luck was the only thing that made it hit its mark, resonating a loud, hollow _thunk!_ as it hit its head.

The Cybertronian blinked, turning to look at the femme blankly.

"Come and get me, you pile of scrap metal," Lyra whispered tauntingly, not having the energy or pain tolerance to speak louder.

The Decepticon snarled, charging up his cannon.

"I love you, Noah," she whispered, tilting her head in submission as she shut her eyes.

She really would die in Mission City.

At least, that's what she thought before she heard the revving of an engine over the sound of destruction. Her head snapped up and she saw something that was both comical and awe-inspiring. 'Bee was strapped to the back of a truck. A truck that was being driven my Mikaela.

Before long, the Decepticon was writhing on the floor, a few shots from the handicapped Camaro having put it down.

"Lyra!" Mikaela exclaimed, jumping out of the truck and running towards her. She carefully helped the brunette to her feet, but it was pointless. In the next second, the mechanic was breaking every intact bone she had in the trunk of her body with a crushing hug. "I was so worried," she whispered.

But Lyra barely registered it as she became winded with the loss of something. It wasn't air. It was more.

It took a bit, but she finally registered the cause.

The All Spark had been destroyed.

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><p><strong>Author's Note: <strong>So, review! :D


	11. Ch8 Confinement and Rusty Lambos

**Author's Note: I'm so sorry for the long wait. I have no excuses. So, here's the next chapter. Kinda a filler, but that's okay. Next chapter will have more plot development (mostly since someone's made an appearance *hint hint*). So, read on!**

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><p><strong>Chapter 8<strong>

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><p><strong><em>Confinement and Rusty Lambos<em>**

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><p>The All spark had been destroyed. Megatron was defeated. Mission City was in ruins.<p>

Lyra's father was working damage control with the rest of his Special Ops team, so he hadn't accompanied her back to the Hoover Dam. Noah was snuggled up in her arms in the backseat of Ratchet's alt mode as the medic drove them to their destination. The "Doc Bot", as Bumblebee, who had suddenly started regained his ability to speak, had called the medic, had wanted to monitor her condition to make sure she didn't go into shock.

After she had awoken from her encounter with the metamorph (and nearly had her rib cage collapse thanks to Mikaela's frantic hugging), Lyra had found Noah clinging onto their dad. When he had spotted her, though, he had completely abandoned their father and practically tackled her.

Ratchet hadn't been amused.

Now, the siblings were dozing off, the eldest being kept from slumber by the periodic whirring of a full body scan and the intense pain she was in. If that wasn't enough, the slightest shift her kid brother made resulted with a world of agony.

"Perhaps you should remove the boy from your grasp," Ratchet stated.

"Perhaps," Lyra replied, gritting her teeth to keep herself from screaming.

There was a pregnant pause of silence. Ratchet was waiting for the girl to move her brother. Lyra was trying to fall into unconsciousness.

Neither happened.

"Why do you humans insist on ignoring what's best for your health?" the 'bot asked in exasperation.

"Why do you robots not understand why we humans do what we do?" she chuckled, leaning her head back in an attempt for comfort.

There was more silence.

Then...

"_Ow!_" A slender, metallic appendage had softly and swiftly unfolded itself from the roof of the car and injected a clear liquid into Lyra's arm. "What the _heck_ was _that_!?"

"A simple, fast acting anesthetic. You are in immense pain, and it should help ease it. Unfortunately, there is a sixty to eighty percent chance that you'll lose con—"

The brunette didn't hear the rest of the medic's words before she fell to the sweet mercy of sleep.

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><p>It had been a week. A week stuck at the Hoover Dam. A week of being confined to Ratchet's makeshift med bay. A week of pain meds and mush the doctors called food.<p>

Lyra was sick of it.

They (meaning every human who had had direct contact with the aliens) had been forced to stay at the Hoover Dam as they were debriefed and the cover story had been successfully circulated.

The hospital smell made Lyra nauseous, though, and the lack of visitors made her anxious. Noah hadn't been allowed to visit her (something about not getting overexcited), and she had the developed the habit of curling her toes to calm her nerves. Which, mind you, was not something her phalanges appreciated.

"Please?"

"Absolutely not."

"Please."

"Negative."

"Please!"

"No."

"PLEASE!"

"Since you do not seem to be grasping the concept of 'no', I shall express it in your native tongue: _No_."

"PLE—wait. How'd you know I speak Spanish?"

"Your father has been muttering in the language for a third of a decacycle. It has been driving the other humans 'up the wall'."

"Oh..." Lyra said lamely, twiddling her thumbs as she stared off into space. A silence ensued between the patient and doctor as Ratchet worked off in the corner on what appeared to be no ore than a pile of scrap metal. "I-is he g—you can't save him can you?"

The sound of air rushing out of a vent was her answer as Ratchet stilled in his work. The silence was even thicker now.

"Jazz was a great comrade. His off-lining is tragic, but he's served his duty as an Autobot. To bring him back would not be 'saving' him. It would be forcing him to endure this war much longer than he must," Ratchet finally said as he returned to his work.

"Then...what are you doing?" she asked quietly.

"It would be dishonorable to allow a comrade to remain in pieces after he gave his life to protect the defenseless," the mech clipped.

"So, it's like a funeral," Lyra surmised, wincing a bit at what the word implied.

_Death_.

Noah had been dead in that dream—no; it was a nightmare. A horrible, disturbing nightmare that Lyra never wanted to think about again.

What would she had done? If it had been real? If she had chosen to back out of her promise, would it have remained real? Would that world, the one with an enraged mother and MIA brother, would it be where she would live? Would she wake up everyday to a place not lit up with Noah's smiling face?

Lyra didn't have all the answers, and, if there was one thing she absolutely detested, it was not knowing everything.

"I suppose you could address it as such," Ratchet said offhandedly, "Though we do not make a show of it as you humans do."

"I see," she muttered, getting distracted by her thoughts.

There was silence again. They were both stuck in their thoughts now. Life and Death. Two topics that left the duo feeling somber. The Autobots were all still mourning the loss of Jazz. Optimus chose to suffer in silence, putting on a brave face for the others as he negotiated day and night with the humans of Earth.

Lyra didn't know of this of course. Her main source of gossip was banned from the med lab despite her pleas to allow the young boy to visit her.

"...please?"

"Fine."

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><p>"—and I saw Optimus, and he was huge! He was like <em>this<em> big," Noah exclaimed, stretching his arms out as far as he could to show his elder sister just how big the Boss Bot was. "And Mikaela! I met her! She was so nice. Sam's a bit stupid, but he's cool too."

"What did I say about calling people stupid?" Lyra said sternly as she played with her brother's hair.

"Not to," the boy grumbled, crossing his arms over his chest. His dreary mood disappeared quickly though as he continued on with his encounters with the Transformers cast. "And Epps! He's so awesome! He let me hold his gun and showed me how to point it and how you sho—"

"He _what_!?" the brunette screeched sitting up quickly from her lying down position on her bed. Noah fell back, seeing as he had been leaning on her, and gulped, having realized that he had said something he wasn't supposed to.

"Uh, he let have some gum?"

"_No'_," she warned.

"_Heletmeholdhisgun_, I'm sorry!"

"I'm gonna kill him," Lyra muttered to herself before sighing.

The two siblings were all alone in the med bay, Ratchet, the Autobots, Sam and Mikaela having gone off to bury Jazz. The was a hill not too far from the Dam with a rather scenic view that Mikaela had stumbled upon the day before as she and Ironhide had gone to pick up some few essentials that the two teenage girls needed.

Lyra decided to use this rare moment alone to speak to her brother about more serious matters. "Noah?"

"Yeah, Ly?" Noah asked hesitantly, wringing his hands as he thought that he was going to get in trouble.

"You haven't...told anyone, have you? Ya know, about the...movie?" She was being vague (who knew whether or not anyone was listening in at the moment), but Noah still understood.

"I tried to tell dad," he admitted, his shoulders slumping, "but he told me that I needed to stop playing around. That this is real life and I couldn't see it as a game."

"Oh," Lyra said, _figures_. "I think," she licked her lips nervously, "I think it's best if we don't tell anyone."

"What? You mean, like, lie?" Noah asked, puzzled. "But you said it's bad to lie!"

"No. Not lie. I meant," she sighed running a hand through her hair, "I meant that we should keep it a secret. Just between us. We're not lying, just not telling everyone the truth."

Noah was staring at his sister in disbelief, but, slowly, he started to nod. "Yeah. I get it. That was the Deceptiscum don't come after us, right? Like when Galloway gave away all the secrets on the video chat and all of the Decepti—"

"Yeah, Noah. Exactly like that," Lyra cut in, forcing a smile. She held out her pinky. Noah quickly clasped it with his own.

"_It's a promise,_" the siblings chorused, sharing a secretive smile.

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><p>Lyra was sitting on 'Bee's hood eating a cheeseburger in the main hangar with Sam, Mikaela and Noah. They were celebrating her first day out of Hell, ahem, <em>the med bay<em>, with the most unhealthy food possible.

Noah was choking down curly fries and a milkshake, as was Sam, and Mikaela was trying to open her mouth wide enough to scarf down a Gordo burger. The disgusted looks the quartet were receiving were ignored; they were too lost in their temporary bliss to care.

"I missed this," Lyra moaned, leaning back on the Camaro's windshield. "It's like heaven in my mouth."

"Like an orgasm without having to deal with a pigheaded moron," Mikaela agreed.

Sam choked on a fry, coughing and spluttering as he blushed crimson. Noah, bless his innocent heart, was looking up at the ravenette in confusion.

"What's an orgasm?"

"Nothing you need to worry about, No'!" Lyra chimed in, shooting a quick glare at Mikaela as she tried to keep herself from smiling. Though she found the comment funny, the last thing she wanted was for her little brother to get corrupted.

"Sorry," Mikaela laughed sheepishly as Noah shrugged and went back to eating his fries.

"So, Lyra, what're ya gonna do after this whole thing, ya know, ends?" Sam asked when he finally recovered.

"I don't really know. I mean, I haven't had time to talk to my dad yet," Lyra shrugged, silently watching her brother eat. "We're probably gonna live with our mother," she sighed dejectedly.

"Do we have to?" Noah asked quietly. The three teenagers turned to look at the boy, Sam and Mikaela in confusion, Lyra with a stony acceptance.

"'Fraid so."

"C-can't we stay with Sam? Or Mikaela?" he asked softly. Noah lowered his head so that no one could see his eyes, but it was obvious by his soft sniffling and strained voice that he was either crying or close to it.

"I can't ask that of them."

"Why do I feel like we're missing something?" Sam asked loudly, staring between the siblings quizzically.

"I-Guys, is there something you wanna say?" Mikaela asked calmly, eying the two warily.

"'Kaela," Noah whimpered, cranking up the cuteness as he gazed up the gear head with large, watery eyes, "can Ly and I come live with you? Mommy's mean."

"I, uh, um," she stuttered, biting her lip as she thought it over. It wasn't really her decision to make. _Hey, dad. I told my new friend who I haven't even known for a fortnight that she and her kid brother could live here. _Yeah, no. "I don't know..."

"You can't ask that of them either, Noah," Lyra sighed, rolling her eyes. Plastering a fake smile on her face, she turned to the two teenagers. "Just ignore him. He's being silly. We'll talk it over with our dad and see about whether or not they'll station him here."

"Oh," Sam said, nodding his head. "'S'cool."

Mikaela was still scrutinizing them, but, as she was about to speak, there was a commotion on the other side of the hangar.

A rusted, beat up, yellow Lambo was wheeling its way towards the med bay. Soldiers and Autobots alike were around it, leading it to its destination. Its engine kept revving, and it would lurch forward, as if it wanted to speed ahead, but its path was blocked by random pedestrians that didn't have the brains to move out of the way.

The quartet watched the scene as static played out of Bumblebee's speakers in what sounded like laughter. It wasn't until the doors to the med bay had securely shut that anything distinguishable played through the 'bot's radio.

"~_**I'm on sunshine, baby oh! I'm walking on sunshine! Wooah**_~"

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><p><strong>Author's Note: Any guesses who it is? ;)<strong>

**Again, I'd like to say that I do take suggestions and things of the like, so feel free to comment. I also live and breathe reviews. I lose interest in writing when I don't have something to build off of. If I' not told what I' doing wrong (or right), then I don't have anything to build off of.**

**Also, we're almost to a hundred reviews! Happiness! I'm like 78% sure that I said I'd write the hundredth reviewer a oneshot of their choice, so, if ya need incentive to review, there ya go. :D**


	12. Ch9 Energy Signatures and Automatons

**Author's Note**

**Aaaaaand I'm back! :D **

**Since winter break unofficially started today, I decided to finish up this chapter. I don't exactly like it (I'll explain later), but I don't hate it either. **

**Anyway, WE MADE IT PASSED A HUNDRED! YAY! :D :D :D**

**I love you all~!**

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><p><strong>Chapter 9<strong>

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><p><em>Energy Signatures and Heartless Automatons<em>

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><p>The one thing that Lyra truly despised was assholes. And robotics. Combine the two and you get a certain Autobot named Sunstreaker.<p>

He was, without a doubt, her least favorite of the Cybertronians. Yes, that included Megatron and the idiot that thought it was a swell idea to abduct her brother. That in and of itself was enough to show just how much she disliked the 'bot. Noah, however, couldn't seem to stop following the guy like a lost puppy.

Well, once he got out of the med bay, that is.

Apparently, the beat up, sorry excuse for a car that had rolled onto the impromptu base had been the notorious Sunstreaker that Noah had been speaking about before...the incident. Honestly, Lyra only remembered who he was when her little brother had muttered and grumbled about him being the "sexy corvette's" brother.

To put it plainly, Lyra could see why they hadn't included him in the movies.

He was such a diva! Every little thing that touched him would nearly get vaporized by one of his many weapons just because they could _possibly_ scratch his new paint job. When a human got too close to him, or if someone accidentally crossed his path, he would nearly screech and leap away out of fear of getting their "organic residue" stuck in the groves of his wheels.

Normally (and on more than one occasion), this would make the brunette crack up. However, Sunstreaker had done the one thing she would never, _ever_ stand for.

He. Made. Noah. Cry.

Her brother had done nothing but follow him around (she could see how this could get annoying, but, come on, it's _Noah_; he's frickin' adorable), every once in while asking him a question about the 'Bot's favorite subject: himself.

Then, out of nowhere, the Auto_bitch_ had turned around, cannon whirring, and said some very heartless words.

Lyra hadn't caught every word, but she did hear "worthless human" and "waste of space" thrown around, as well as the first of many sobs erupting from her little brother's throat.

There was one thing she had to say, though; the guy was smart.

As soon as the words were out of his mouth (or whatever they called it), Sunstreaker had transformed into his Lambo form and had peeled out of the hangar, narrowly avoiding a few soldiers that hadn't moved fast enough.

Had it not been for the fact that Noah was crying his heart out in the center of a room the size of three football fields, Lyra would've seen how long it would take for that Autoscum to beg for mercy as she scratched his paint job with a very sharp dagger.

"It's alright, No'," she whispered, hugging the boy to her as she smoothed his hair back. "Don't listen to that butthead."

"I-it's my f-f-f-fault," he sobbed, wrapping his thin arms around her neck.

"Hush," she said sternly, locking gazes with him, "no it's not. He had no right to say that to you."

"Y-yes, he did," Noah moaned, hiding his face in the crook of her neck. His next words were muffled and barely heard. "I asked him about his brother."

She wanted to slap herself. "I thought we said we'd keep the movie on the DL?" She tried not to sound exasperated, she really did. But, honestly, Noah? Really?

"I know," he sniffled, not moving from his position. "I'm sorry, Ly. I didn't m-mean to..."

"Shh," Lyra cooed, tightening her hold on him. "It's alright. It's fine. I'm not mad." _I'm still gonna send that piece of scrap metal to the junk yard though_, she thought darkly.

* * *

><p>It took Lyra three days to find the Lambo. In those three days, she had had not only one, but two very unsavory conversations with her father. The result was usually the same: they'd talk civilly, they'd discuss their plans for after they left the Dam, they'd fight, they'd storm off.<p>

Her father had chosen to side with the "secrecy" part of his job and had insisted that she and Noah live with their mother for "work related reasons". This royally pissed the brunette off. He was her father, so he had to know how much she hated being out of the loop, especially when it was about something she already _knew_ about.

Though he didn't know that.

But Sam and Mikaela were allowed in on the secret! Why couldn't she be? It wasn't fair! Lyra wanted her dad to be completely honest with her; instead, she had to confirm everything she already knew through Mikaela.

They were to never speak about the Autobots to anyone not "in the know".

Mission City was a terrorist attack.

And, as a possible target, every human that came in direct contact with the Cybertronians were to be guarded at all times.

The last point had surprised Lyra, but it made sense. There was really no reason for Bumblebee to remain with Sam—well, besides their bromance—but he still had. Not to mention that since Mikaela and Sam were officially an item, it would be like killing two birds with one stone.

Still, though, that brought up the question of who would guard her and Noah. If her father wasn't so adamant in returning them to their mother's so called "care", then the girl would've assumed that Special Ops Kris Montez would be in charge of their safety.

However, that wasn't the case, and Lyra was being left in the dark. About everything.

Thus, she had set out to find the egotistical Lambo in hopes of not only screaming her lungs out at him for his uncalled for behavior towards her sibling, but also to vent out her current frustrations.

Lyra found Sunstreaker near the med bay sporting a shallow dent on his jaw. He was pacing (which was bizarre, seeing as his feet were wheels) and making strange whirring and clicking noises. From what Noah had said and what she had gathered from the other Autobots, she assumed he was speaking his native language.

_Figures that they're language sounds like a pit crew at work._

"Hey!" Lyra called, placing her hands on her hips as she tilted her head up to glare at the large robot. Sunstreaker quieted down, turning his head to gaze at the human in irritation before continuing his previous mutterings. "Yo, Sunstreaker! I'm talking to you!"

A large rush of air blew her hair back as the 'Bot seemed to sigh. "What do want, human?" Sunstreaker growled, his optics moving skyward in what resembled an eye roll.

"I _want_," Lyra stressed, crossing her arms over her chest, "to know what the hell's wrong with you."

"Excuse me?" Sunstreaker scoffed. "The only 'wrong' with me is that I have a pint sized organic addressing me as if _I'm_ beneath it."

"Well, hate to break it to ya, bud, but you are," she stated, her eyes narrowing. "Where the _fuck_ do you get off making _my_ little brother cry?"

The cyan glow of Sunstreaker's optics seemed to darken as he moved towards her. "That pipsqueak fleshling is your brother? Figures. Both of you don't seem to know your place."

"Oh, and where would that be?" Lyra challenged, gritting her teeth. "Perhaps transporting you to the local junk yard where piles of scrap like you can rust in peace?"

"You better watch yourself, femme," the Lambo warned, charging up his cannon. "The Boss Bot may be against frying you humans, but I'm not."

"Sounds about right," she muttered, rolling her eyes. "Someone says something you don't like and your first reaction is to hurt them." Lyra took a step forward, incredibly aware of the fact that all Sunstreaker had to do was wheel himself forward half a foot and she'd be squished, but too hyped up on adrenaline and frustration to care. "Just get one thing through that dented head of yours, got it? The Autobots are taking up residents on _my _planet. We _humans_ are letting you stay here. I'm pretty sure that killing us won't exactly win you favor."

"Are you threatening me, _human_?"

"No," she said seriously, taking a couple of steps backwards. "I'm warning you. Apologize to my little brother and then stay the hell away from him. He doesn't need an asshole like you making him feel bad about himself."

"Or what?" Sunstreaker asked, crossing his arms across his metal chest.

Lyra was about to open her mouth and say something cryptic like "you don't wanna know" to cover up the fact that she didn't really have any concrete threat behind her words (besides probably waiting until he falls into "stasis", which, Ratchet explained, was the Cybertronian equivalent to sleep, and destroying his paint job), but was interrupted by the reason for her current frustrations.

"Ly, can I talk to you?" her father, Kris Montez, called, his gaze shifting between his daughter and future comrade.

"'Can' as in able, or 'may' as in will?" Lyra said keeping her gaze locked with the yellow 'Bot.

She heard her father sigh in exasperation. "_May_ I talk to you?"

"Yes."

The two humans departed to a more recluse area where they could have another argument—_ehem_, "conversation"—away from any prying ears. Of course, Sunstreaker technically didn't have ears...

"Have you finally come to your senses and decided to let us stay with you?" she asked immediately, her shoulders sagging as she released all the tension she had felt while speaking with Sunstreaker.

"Honey," Kris said, running a hand through his shaggy hair which had already started to grow out during their time with the 'Bots, "you know I can't do that."

"And why not?" Lyra demanded, stomping her foot childishly as she crossed her arms and pouted. "You know that we're better off alone than with _that woman_."

"She's your mother, Ly."

"No she's not," she muttered stubbornly, turning her head away from her father to stare at the floor.

"You can deny it all you want, but it won't change the fact that it's the truth," Kris said. Muttering under his breath he said, "Jesus, you're so stubborn."

"Well, at least you know where I get it from," Lyra grumbled, casting a sidelong glance at her father. Running a hand through her brown locks in the same fashion that her dad had done not too long ago, she rolled her shoulders and faced him with large puppy eyes. "Look, all I'm saying is that Noah and I were fine without any supervision before. If we can't stay with you, can't we just stay on our own? Like last time?"

"Don't pull that look on me. You know it only works on your brother," Kris laughed. He sobered up quickly, though. "Leaving you two alone was a stupid mistake on my part. I honestly thought it'd be alright, but, you know what, it wasn't—it's not. If something had happened to you—"

"Nothing would've happened, dad," she cut in sternly. "I wouldn't have let anything happen."

"Ly, you're _sixteen_. I know that you think you're old enough to take care of yourself, and that you can't do anything wrong, but Noah's not a toy. He's another human being. That's a large responsibility that you're not ready to bar—"

"No, dad. I _can_ bare it. I've been baring it since I was thirteen," Lyra ground out, feeling her head start to hurt and the area around her eyes start to pound. Her neck seemed to suddenly experience its own Ice Age, and she knew that that stupid necklace was back. "Nothing would have happened. Nothing _will _happen. I am perfectly capable of taking care of and protecting Noah."

"Ly, are you ok—?"

"I'm _fine_," she clipped, glaring at a confused looking Kris. "I'm fine, and so is Noah. Something you haven't really helped with lately."

"Hey, that's not fa—"

"Not fair? Yeah. I know," Lyra agreed sardonically. "I know exactly how unfair life can be..."

Suddenly, she wasn't talking about whether or not she'd be living with her mother anymore. No, her mind was busy puzzling over everything that happened in the last three weeks alone. It was all so...unfair. She didn't want to have to live in a world where a _toaster_ could kill her brother. How 'unfair' would that be?

NOAH MONTEZ: SURVIVED MISSION CITY; KILLED BY TOASTER

"I'm just...whatever. We'll stay with mom. Just...yeah," she murmured, shutting her eyes as her headache began to recede. "I'm just gonna...go."

As Lyra walked off, Kris and Sunstreaker (whom, despite what the humans around him thought, had very excellent hearing) were left with many questions.

Kris was left wondering whether or not he imagined the electricity in his daughter's eyes as she basically told him that he had been practically worthless in the raising of his youngest son.

Sunstreaker, however, was questioning just who this femme was and why she suddenly seemed to give off a faint Cybertronian signature in the middle of her conversation with her father.

Whatever the reason, though, it was the Autobot's duty to let his comrades know.

* * *

><p>Noah was sitting inside Bumblebee, asking him endless questions about Cybertron, when he spotted his sister talking with Mikaela. She was laughing and smiling like she usually did when she was with him and it made him smile.<p>

Lyra didn't have friends. She never did. He used to tell himself that she had plenty of them, but it wasn't true. She would always listen to him when he spoke about his own friends and what they did, and she'd always have this look in her eyes. It was the look he'd get whenever they passed by a store that had Transformers merchandise in it.

A look that said, "I wish I had that."

He felt happy that she actually had friends now (thought he bet she didn't think of them as friends, silly sister), and it made him all the more glad that he was in Transformers.

This was the greatest thing to ever happen to him! Well, besides the whole "getting kidnapped" thing. That was scary. And horrible. He didn't talk about it and Lyra didn't bring it up. So, yeah. Yay for mutual understanding!

Not to mention that Sunstreaker had come up to him earlier that day and muttered "sorry" before wheeling away.

It was a good day.

Well, it was, until Noah spotted Epps walking over to his sister with said Autobot in tow. He spoke to her for a bit, and she responded courteously (he loved that about her; she was always so polite, even when she was annoyed—well, unless you were the reason she was annoyed; then you better run...), until he said something that she didn't like.

He could tell she didn't like it because she screeched out a loud, angry "WHAT!?" and then stormed away from the others and towards him.

Angrily, his sister pulled open 'Bee's passenger door, seeing as Noah was currently situated in the driver's seat, and sat down in a huff as she slammed the door shut after her. "Buckle up," she ordered, and he did as he was told. Once the two were securely strapped in, she tapped 'Bee's dash and ground out a strained "drive".

The Camaro did so without protest, perhaps worried about what would happen to him if he refused, and peeled out of the hangar—heck, he peeled out of the Dam and just drove around until Lyra said he could stop.

Meanwhile, Noah was holding on to the steering wheel, pretending to drive, as he waited for his sister to calm down enough for him to ask her what was on his mind.

"What happened?" he asked innocently, peering at her with the same large, puppy eyes that she always tried to pull on their dad. Honestly, the look should be illegal, it was so cute. How their father remained completely unaffected by it was beyond them. Maybe he was a heartless automaton?

"Sunstreaker happened," Lyra spat glaring holes through the tinted windows (how would the cops react if they saw an _eight_ year old driving?).

"What d'ya mean?" he asked, trying not to sound too fan-crazed while she was angry. Not even his cuteness could save him from her if he went all fan boy while she was already moody to begin with.

"_Sunstreaker,_" she said the name as if it was a struggle to get the words out, "is our...guardian."

Normally, Noah would've been jumping for joy by that, but the news was admitted with so much malice and unveiled hatred that it worried him. Also, there was the fact that, when he looked over uncertainly at his sister, there seemed to be a strange, blue pulse of electricity resonating in her eyes.

Though he started to wonder whether he had actually seen it or if all of those late nights spent reading comic books had finally caught up to him when she had blinked and the spark seemed to be gone.

_Spark_, Noah thought curiously. _No, it's not possible. This isn't_ _some cliché fanfiction. I'm just imagining it._

Bumblebee, however, was busy sending Ratchet an analysis of the sudden energy signature she was emitting. It seemed that Sunstreaker wasn't just suffering separation anxiety, and hadn't imagined a human girl with a signature.

Well, it looked like he owed someone an apology.

_Damn it._

* * *

><p><strong>Author's Note<strong>

**So the reason I don't like this is that it implies something that isn't true. Lyra isn't the Allspark (honestly, if anyone was the Allspark, I think it'd be Noah), she isn't turning into a Cybertronian (I try to be as scientifically accurate when writing about going to an alternate dimension; go figure :P), nor is she some super human. **

**For those of you who actually want to know what's going on now instead of waiting...**

***SOMEWHAT SPOILER ALERT***

_**The Oath of Guardianship to Noah has tapped into her more...primal instincts, and anything perceived as a threat isn't exactly "sitting well" with her.**_

_**As to how that happened, well, there's a common factor in everything that's happened lately, *cough*jewelry*cough*, and it's a sort of "link" between herself and Noah on a Guardian-Charge level that she's able to use since, well, she doesn't exactly have any cannons to blast any threats away with.**_

***SOMEWHAT SPOILER ALERT END***

**I also kinda feel like Lyra's acting a bit Mary-Sue-ish, but I'm trying to write her actions and words with what she should be feeling in mind. Like, no matter how long she's there, I don't actually think she'd ever accept that she's in a movie. Or that a toaster could kill her brother... So she's sort of in a state of disbelief and denial, but since Noah's there and seems to be accepting it, she's just acknowledging that it might be real.**

**So, yeah. Looooong Author's Note... I'd like to hear your opinion on whether or not Ly's Mary-Sue, and, if she is, why she is. I want to fix it before it gets _too_ impossible. :)**


	13. Ch10 Silk Robes and Taco Bell

**Author's Note: And it's been a while! Sorry about that. Have excuses, but that's...no excuse. xP**

**Anyway, I bring you this shortish filler as I try to decide what coarse I want this story to take. I'm trying to keep it from becoming cliche, so I gotta think outside the box. The last thing I want is an overdone subplot.**

**I'd like to say thanks to everyone that reviewed. I'd also like to thank those that reinforced the idea that Lyra isn't a Mary-Sue into my head. You guys boosted my confidence. ^^**

* * *

><p><em><strong>Chapter 10<strong>_

* * *

><p><em>Silk Robes and Taco Bell<em>

* * *

><p>"And you <em>live<em> here?" Sunstreaker questioned in disgust as he observed the run down two story home in front of him. A few windows were shattered and the wooden porch was rotting in certain areas. The lawn was a dead yellow with patches of dirt scattered around.

Over all, he was not impressed.

"Unfortunately," Lyra stated, unbuckling her seat belt before stepping out of the driver's side of the Lambo. "Stay in the car, No'," she called as she made sure to slam the door.

"Watch it," Sunstreaker growled as he revved the engine loudly. This drew the attention of a few pedestrians, and they started to crowd around the car in awe. Needless to say, Noah was securely locked inside the 'Bot.

Taking a deep breath to calm herself, Lyra stepped onto the porch of her mother's house. The wood creaked beneath her ominously. The brunette wasn't even able to stop her hands from shaking and work up the nerve to knock before the ancient door was pulled open.

"Mom..." Lyra breathed, gazing wide eyed at the woman. For a moment, she imagined her mother's eyes to be bloodshot, her hair wild, and body vibrating in place. Hell, she half expected her mother to start screaming and calling her a bitch right then and there.

"Oh," her mother stated disdainfully. "You're here already."

Sandra Edgewood was such a pleasant woman.

"Y-yeah," Lyra stuttered. "Er, di-did Dad c-call?"

"Called, texted, emailed," Sandra snorted. "Didn't expect you brats 'til later."

"Sorry," she mumbled quietly, dropping her eyes momentarily before forcing herself to keep them upwards. "Er, so should we just...erm, should we just go to our room?"

"Just keep your shit up there. If I see any of it around the house, I'll ki—who's car is _that_?"

Lyra followed her mother's gaze hesitantly. She was hoping to every deity willing to listen that she wasn't talking about...well, what d'ya know? She was.

"Th-that's mine," she grumbled nervously, casting anxious glances at the blond woman.

"And where the _fuck _did you get that?" her mother demanded angrily before a knowing smirk tugged at her chapped lips. "Oh, I get it. That's where you disappeared off to. So who is he?"

"What?" Lyra asked in confusion. Who was who?

"The sugar daddy you whored yourself out to. Ya know, your fuck buddy. The wallet you blew to afford that piece of fine ass."

She nearly choked on the air. Was her mother serious!? "Wh-what? No!" she exclaimed, "it was a gift from my dad! An 'I'm-sorry-I've-been-away-for-so-long' present!"

"Mhmm," Sandra scoffed walking out towards her small scrap pile of a car. "Whatever. I'm going out."

"W-when will you be back?" Lyra questioned.

"Don't know, don't care," she replied vaguely before she got in her car and drove away.

"Right," Lyra sighed, leaning against the wall of the house in exhaustion. She rubbed her face tiredly, resting a moment before she pushed off the wall and approached Sunstreaker and the small crowd of neighbors. "Okay! Nothing to see here!" she declared as she shooed them away. "Don't mess up the paint!" _He'll never get off my ass about it_.

"This yours, lady?" some thirteen year old wannabe gangster asked her.

"Last time I checked. Now move it," Lyra commanded as she crossed her arms and shot the teen a glare.

"Whatever, bitch," the boy spat before waltzing off.

When everyone had cleared out, she tapped the Lambo's windshield; "Open up, Sunshine." Her only response was an angry rev of the engine. "Do you really wanna do that? I won't save your ass the next time your surrounded by a horde of awestruck humans."

"You're the most infuriating femme Primus ever created," Sunstreaker growled, unlocking the door.

Lyra rolled her eyes and opened the door for herself. "Who knew chivalry was dead for alien robots too?" she asked Noah sarcastically.

Noah giggled quietly as he fiddled with the new iPhone his dad had gotten him as a means of communication. He was playing _The Walking Dead _at the moment. God, he hated Duck.

"Anyway," she said, leaning down to grab a small knapsack she had kept in the front seat with her, "Mom'll be gone for a while. Let's head on up to our room."

"Okay," he sighed, pouting.

* * *

><p>.<p>

Noah was a heavy sleeper. For once in her life, Lyra was glad of that fact as she heard the front door slam open. She was glad of it as her mother's moans and giggles wafted through the thin walls from down the hall. She was glad of it as the cries and yells and pleas for "_more! God, give me more!_" accompanied the sporadically rhythmic creaks of a spring bed.

Now, if only she herself could fall into such a deep sleep, Lyra thought to herself, forcing her eyes shut. If only she wasn't in this damn house. If only she didn't have to recall a memory—dozens of memories—just like this night.

If only... If only...

.

* * *

><p>"Have a nice night?" Lyra arched a brow; since when did her mother <em>care<em>. "I know I did," Sandra cackled, preparing two mugs of coffee.

It was obvious, by way of dress and appearance, that the woman held no shame in her actions or conduct. Her hair, golden locks just a shade or three brighter than her son's sandy ones, was everywhere, at times resembling a plant craving for sunlight as it stuck up at odd intervals. There were very obvious bruises and cuts made by a lover's lips and lustful grips printed upon her pale skin. Her own lips were swollen and broken, as if she had embedded her teeth into them—or someone else had.

The only move Sandra made to shield herself from her blushing daughter's gaze was a short, silk robe that she didn't even bother to tie up.

"Y-yeah," Lyra stammered, "I, uh, I h-heard..."

"Oh, you did, did you?" her mother asked, winking slyly; "Sound familiar, I bet."

The innuendo went completely over the brunette's head. "I don't know what you mean," she replied uncomfortably, keeping her eyes away from the older woman as the loose robe flashed a little too much. "Erm, who's the coffee for?"

"Oh, you heard 'im last night," Sandra smirked, sashaying out of the kitchen and disappearing up the stairs.

Lyra gripped the counter tightly as she struggled to breathe. Why did she feel so suffocated all of a sudden?

* * *

><p>"Ooh! Can we get Taco Bell?" Noah exclaimed a few weeks later. His scrawny legs swung back and forth excitedly, though he was careful not to accidentally hit the Lambo's upholstery. <em>That<em> sure hadn't gone over well the first time it happened.

"Again?" Lyra groaned, her head falling back against the head rest of the driver's seat in exasperation. They had been frequenting the joint for the past week after school got out while their appointed guardian patrolled the perimeter. The brunette hadn't exactly seen how that was guarding them since they had no way of communicating with each other should anything happen, but she didn't really care. The less she saw of the rust bucket, the better.

Nevertheless, Lyra stuck her key in the ignition, attempting to start the vehicle as her left hand rested lightly on the steering wheel.

"Hey," the 'Bot warned, jerking the wheel out of her grip, "I'm not one of your stupid 'cars'. I don't need to be controlled by a fleshy."

"Jeez, sorry," she scowled, crossing her arms as the Cybertronian peeled out of the local elementary school's parking lot. He was speeding—_again—_and weaving in and out of cars, trying to get to their location as quickly as possible.

"So, what exactly is a Taco Bell?"

_You've got to be kidding me,_ she thought in exasperation.

"Mexican!" Noah beamed, pausing his attempts to slay zombies long enough to let out a dreamy sigh and drool up a river.

"Gross, No'," his sister scowled, her nose scrunching up in disgust. But he was already too absorbed in his phone and the wonders of Apple technology to acknowledge her.

"You organics are disgusting," Sunstreaker cringed, dropping down lower on his wheels for a brief moment.

"And you robots are cold," Lyra deadpanned, her mind recalling a very chilling sensation she had experienced a few days prior that involved being forced to bathe a surprisingly ticklish Autobot.

Never.

Again.

"You humans are stupid."

"You Cybertronians are dense."

"You humans are clingy."

"You Cybertronians are so obtuse!"

"Humans are slimy!"

"Robots are pathetic!"

"Well, at least we don't go scrambling to destroy everything we get our hands on!"

"At least we don't have to rent out another species' planet!"

"..."

"..."

"'Kaela, mommy and daddy are fighting again~"

Lyra's head snapped over to Noah who was gripping onto his phone desperately. He pulled a devastated frown and was wiping at his eyes dramatically, swiping at fake tears as his sister's eyes burned harshly into his forehead. Her face slowly reddening...

"WHO'RE YOU CALLING MOMMY AND DADDY!?" Sunstreaker and Lyra snarled simultaneously. To each other, they shouted, "YOU'D BE LUCKY TO EVEN BE ASSOCIATED WITH ME! STOP THAT! NOW!"

"..."

"..."

"All I wanted was Taco Bell~!" Noah cried, sniffing into the phone as Mikaela cooed and comforted him.

* * *

><p>The siblings ended up staying out for several hours. Noah was oblivious to the time as Lyra offered to take him to different places consistently. One time it was the park, the next it was an old arcade. Then, a toy store, and, now, a movie theater. Anything, really, to avoid going home. Her mother hadn't come home last night. Who knew if she was probably there by now? Or, worse<em>—<em>what if she had brought another "friend" home?

Sunstreaker, having no knowledge of the typical customs of humans, thought nothing of it for a while. Did organics always spend such extensive periods about town? He had no idea. Thus, he reluctantly spent the time in the parking lot on a website called 'wikipedia'.

Sorting through the gold mine of information took a while. Some pages would seem promising only to be completely useless. Others were...interesting, for lack of better word. It turns out that the video feed he had intercepted prior to his unexpected landing on the planet Earth was a topic considered relatively taboo in civilized conversation.

It was, he summed up, gross.

Besides that, Sunstreaker learned that it was perfectly normal for a human female, particularly those in their teen ages, to spend abundant hours out and about. Though, he noticed, it said nothing about hauling their younger brother around. It only mentioned this behavior being common among friends. If anything, siblings were considered obnoxious and irritating.

_Please_, Sunstreaker thought in irritation, _all humans are irritating._

Thoughts of his eldest charge came to mind, and he felt the urge to smash his windshield with a very blunt hammer.

That girl...she was so vexing! In all honesty, Sunstreaker had never wanted to brutally maim another being more in his life before. He didn't even know why he was protecting her. Really, what was the Boss Bot thinking? Putting him on Guardian duty? That was like saying that Primus was nothing compared to Starscream.

In other words, completely laughable!

Sunstreaker was much too skilled for such a thing. He should've been with Prime, or even the Hatchet. Anything but watching those two pathetic human infants like some loyal little dog.

Actually, he should've been with Sideswipe.

His brother had been separated from him in action. He was alright, he knew, just MIA at the moment.

Still, though, guardian!? The only people he guarded was him, himself, and Sideswipe.

That's it.

There was no "Lyra and Noah" nonsense.

Nuh uh.

No way.

* * *

><p><strong>Author's Note: So, I tried to make it a bit more light-hearted towards the end since the beginning was...I don't know, angsty? Bleh. <strong>

**I hope you liked it, even if it was a filler.**

** Let me know if you want anything specific to happen. I'm debating whether or not to do the classic "turned-on-by-car-wash" thing later on. Though I'm not really sure that's something that would happen in this story. Lyra's socially naive, so...she'd probably be oblivious to it all.**


	14. Ch11 Strength and Angry Robots

**Author's Note: Yo, people! Long time no write! Sorry. ^-^' Anyway, here's the next somewhat-angsty-actually-story-progressing chapter. :D**

* * *

><p><strong><em>Chapter 11 <em>**

* * *

><p><em>Strength and Angry Robots<em>

* * *

><p>The day was gorgeous. The sun was shining from unheard praise, beaming down at the lush greenery and vast lakes and rivers. Its laughter reverberated through the world in the form of a gentle breeze, strong enough to chase away the heat, but just soft enough to prevent any unwanted accidents. Birds chirped happily, squirrels skittered around blissfully.<p>

Lyra Montez was very aware of the day despite the fact that she was stuck in classes. After all, with all the time she spent staring out of windows, it would be impossible not to have noticed.

She was indifferent to the lectures and whispers that filtered through the rooms. She was indifferent to the peeved look upon her teacher's visage and the sour expression he made every time he strolled by her and noticed that every note he made was annotated and every assignment assigned had their answers answered. She was indifferent to the mixed stares she received from her peers; the questioning gazes, the bitter scowls.

She was not, however, indifferent to the slow ticking of time nor the fact that the majority of the whispers were about her.

"_Who does she think she is? Bitch."_

Lyra didn't know what he meant. She hadn't even spoken a word to him, let alone looked at him. How was she a bitch?

"_Look at her hair! Talk about blech."_

Lyra resisted the urge to touch her hair; what was wrong with it?

"_I heard she slept with some pimp. I mean, have you _seen_ her car?"_

She damned Sunny. Why did he have to be so damn sexy? No, she didn't mean that! She meant…his vehicle mode… Like Sideswipe's a sexy Corvette… As if _that_ thought was any better.

"_She thinks she's so awesome 'cause she's the new girl."_

All Lyra wanted was to disappear into the wall. She didn't think she was awesome. She didn't want to be the new girl. She just wanted to just go away…

"_I hate her, the stupid know-it-all."_

Lyra hadn't talked to her before… And how can you be "stupid" _and_ a "know-it-all"?

When the bell finally rang, she was relieved to leave that retched room. The walls felt like they were constricting around her, getting smaller and smaller until all that was left was a small, dense cube. Her stomach churned.

Sunstreaker was in the parking lot when she got there, Noah in the passenger seat with his seat belt tightly secured on him. Elementary school got out an hour earlier than high school, unfortunately, so this had been a regular occurrence for the past two weeks.

"Ly!" Noah cried happily, his lips spreading into a grin, revealing a gap in his teeth. "You'd never guess what I did today! Miss Gullo was teaching us about insects today and she…"

He chattered away happily, ignorant to the way Lyra fought to keep a smile on her face. It should've been easy, really; all that mattered to her was the ball of sunshine sat next to her as Sunstreaker drove them home slowly. She shouldn't have had to fight the facial muscles that suddenly seemed to weigh a ton and a half.

Lyra had never had friends. All she needed was Noah. That was it. She was happy with that. As long as he was around, everything was fine. It was fine. She was fine. _I am fine_, Lyra thought firmly.

"—and...and…and they turned into _butterflies_!" Noah exclaimed loudly, his arms flying up in wonder.

"Really? You got to see that?" Lyra asked with forced excitement. "That's awesome, No'!"

Yeah, Noah was the awesome one. She didn't think of herself as awesome because Noah was the awesome one. Always was, always will be. Her classmates were so stupid to think she thought otherwise.

"Lyra, do you think mom will let me have a caterpillar that I can raise into a butterfly? I'll take good care of it!"

"We'll see," the brunette mused, switching her gaze out of the tinted windows as they neared their house.

"_Yes!_" And he continued to chatter about all of the types of caterpillars he could get the rest of the ride.

Again, Lyra forced a smile.

Dinner was usually quiet nowadays. Lyra would always end up cooking the meal since her mother was always out…doing something. She'd serve herself and Noah at the dinner table, where they'd try to pretend they were back in Florida, living on their own again, only for Sandra to stumble in and join them.

She was always conveniently late, Lyra noticed, and she was _always_ stumbling. Not to mention that her breath smelled. Bad.

Tonight was no different as the two Montez siblings sat at the small, round table with their individual plates of pasta. They were halfway through the meal when she walked in, heel broken, shirt buttoned incorrectly, arms strangely red as if it had been punctured recently.

"Welcome home, mommy," Noah said quietly, bowing his head solemnly. It had always been his dream to say those words; however, he had always wanted to _mean them_.

"Wha's fo' dinn'," Sandra slurred as she collapsed on a chair, pulling Lyra's plate away from her and started eating it before they could respond.

And dinner continued. In silence. Like usual.

Only the scrape of silverware against aged plates was heard throughout the house until Sandra was finished eating. The scraping of the chair against the floor resonated loudly in the room.

"Tha' shit was terrible," the woman moaned, using the table as a crutch to stand. "Learn t' cook, bitch."

Noah was staring wide eyed at his mother. She had just—!

"Please don't curse," Lyra said, cutting off the young boy's thoughts.

He switched his gaze to his sister, noticing that she looked paler than usual. Her fists were clenched around her utensils, her knuckles white, and her steely gaze was fixated upon them. She looked, for lack of a better word, icy. Fury frozen in terror? Frozen terror being melted by a fiery fury? Who knew? He wasn't a poet.

"'Scuse m'?" Sandra demanded, glaring at her with bloodshot eyes.

"Noah doesn't need to hear words like that," Lyra persisted with a shaky voice as her eyes remained unmoved.

A slightly maniac laugh escaped the mother's throat. "Oh, I see you haven' been broken in yet. Ha!" she crowed drunkenly. Abruptly, she seemed to sober up as she turned to Noah. He cringed away in fear. "I'm _sorry_ for fuckin' cussin' like a fuckin' sailor's_ bitch_. I didn' know your whore of a sister had _standards_."

Sandra pushed herself off of the table and stumbled off to her room.

"_Mom!_" Lyra called angrily, standing up in indignation.

Stopping stiffly, Sandra looked over her shoulder mockingly. "I'm _sorry_, did you _need_ something?"

The brunette stood still, not knowing what to say. There were a million and one things she _could _say, but she just didn't think she was able to. Her mouth opened and closed in silence. She had the air, but the words escaped her.

"I don' need t' know how y' practice," she said in disgust, turning away scornfully. "I'm goin' t' bed. Clean this shit up."

Lyra's lips snapped together, her eyes clenching painfully tight. She could just feel her body shaking…

"Ly…?" Noah asked quietly, peering up at her cautiously as he straightened up from where he had sunk into the chair. "Are you…are you okay?" She didn't respond. "Lyra?" No response. "Sis," he said seriously, standing up from his chair slowly and approaching her. "Sis, talk to me. _Please_."

A shuddering breath was the first sign of acknowledgement he got from her before she dropped to her knees and hugged him to her, her arms wrapped around his waist, face buried in his small chest. "Don't you _ever_ be anything like that woman, understood?" Lyra demanded. Her voice was thick with repressed emotion.

Noah nodded quickly, wrapping his thin arms around his sister as she broke down. She didn't make a sound, but he knew she was crying by the way his shirt seemed to dampen. He bit his lip. How could he cheer her up?

"Ly…" he whispered calmly, gnawing on his lower lip. "Can we go see Mikaela and Sam this weekend?"

"Yeah," she gasped, standing abruptly as she busied herself with cleaning up the dining table. Her back was purposefully to him as she scrambled to gather the plates and silverware, her head nodding absently as if she was still agreeing to his statement.

"Lyra, you don't have to be so—"

"It's time for bed, No'," she said tersely, cutting him off. "Go put on your jammies. I'll be up in a few minutes once I'm done."

"Alright...," Noah said regretfully as he turned grudgingly. However, he stood where he was for a few moments, watching the way his elder sister's shoulders seemed to shake without notice. Shutting his eyes briefly, he took in a small breath before opening them and looking away.

As he made his way to their bedroom he whispered what he so desperately felt his sister needed to hear.

"You don't always have to be so strong."

* * *

><p>The drive was annoyingly cheerful, Noah had to admit. Lyra was laughing and joking around so much that it was <em>sickening<em>. The amount of forced joy she was exuding made him just want to _gag_. So, as the observant, logical younger brother, he did the only thing this situation allowed.

"When we get to Sam's, do you think 'Bee will play hide-and-seek with me?" Noah asked excitedly, his eyes widening in hopeful anticipation.

Lyra just melted at the look. Yeah, he was _that_ good.

"Of course he will," she assured, ruffling his hair affectionately as she lazily kept a hand on Sunstreaker's steering wheel. The action was a habit now, really, and the Autobot hadn't threatened her life yet, so it was cool.

"Really? Yes!" Noah cheered, pumping his fist in the air excitedly. He would so own that robot in hide-and-seek. Just wait and see.

"What's 'hide-and-seek'?" Sunstreaker's voice garbled from the radio. Noah watched his sister's nose wrinkle in distaste as she finally dropped the joyful front she'd had since they departed that morning for a weekend at the Witwicky house.

"It's a game," Lyra sniffed, sitting up straight as she stared out of the windshield with a narrow gaze.

In reaction, Noah shrunk deeper into is seat. _'Scary…_' he thought. Just how much did she resemble mommy with that look on her face? A lot. A whole freakin' lot.

An irritated gust of air vented out of the Lambo's A/C system. "What kind of game, you obnoxious femme?"

"A children's game, you insufferable robot," Lyra scowled. She didn't like him, Noah knew that, but she didn't have to be so rude. A pout adorned the boy's lips.

"What's the purpose of this children's game?" Ooh, he sounded annoyed. And like he was going to squish someone. Yikes.

"To hide," she pursed her lips in amusement. "And to seek."

The engine started sputtering as they passed the '_Welcome to Tranquility!_' sign. Sunstreaker began to slow down pathetically. Inside the Cybertronian, the A/C cut off, quickly causing the temperature to skyrocket in the hot sun.

"Sunstreaker?" Noah asked tentatively after a few minutes. They stopped completely.

"Sunny…?" Lyra asked, her eyebrows furrowing together in confusion. Not worry. Pfft, like she would ever worry about him.

"Get out."

They weren't given a chance to respond for themselves as their doors opened and they were roughly shoved out of their seats. Though, Noah deduced from the cry of pain his sister emitted, he was shoved a little less so. Their bags followed quickly.

The sound of the doors slamming behind them was quickly followed by the shifting of gears and metal sliding against metal. Anxiously, he turned to his sister wondering what could be going on. Sunstreaker couldn't possibly be angry with Ly's answer, could he? Shouldn't he be used to it by now? Lyra didn't like him and he didn't like Lyra; did he really expect her answer to be anything but sarcastic?

Noah's eyes met the wide, panicked hazel eyes of his sister that quickly turned steely. She smiled reassuringly, her face suspiciously pale. He smiled back gently.

The sound of a blaster charging up forced the siblings to face the seething Autbot before them. The glow that the weapon gave off painted their skin a faint tint of blue, and their widened eyes seemed illuminated.

"I've had enough of you and your stupid answers, _human_," Sunstreaker spat.

Out of the corner of his eye, Noah saw his sister gulp nervously.

"Y-yeah?" Lyra's voice shook before she shut her eyes tightly and took a steadying breath. Opening her eyes, her eyes seemed to glow brighter in the weapon's light. A weapon that was, she noticed, still charging power. "Well, I've had enough of you and your stupid questions. Aren't you and the rest of you Autobots supposed to be linked up to Google or something? Shouldn't you be able to look up what hide-and-seek is?"

A vicious growl ripped through the air as Sunstreaker suddenly raised his blaster skyward and fired off two shots. The silence that followed would've been deafening had the Lambo not quickly succumbed to his temper and began cursing in his native tongue.

Noah looked around nervously, his nerves through the roof. Not only had they just been less than three yards away from a completely awesome and completely deadly weapon, but they had been three yards away from it when it was pointed at _them_.

"Are you _insane_!?" Lyra shouted, her body shaking violently in…rage? terror? "We're in a residential area, you psychopathic rust bucket! Do you seriously think that there won't be dozens of calls to the police about two strange lights in the sky? Especially after Mission City! Are you really that dense?"

"That's it! I don't care what the Boss Bot says, I'd rather be eaten by Unicron than go through this torture!" Sunstreaker snarled angrily as he transformed into his vehicle mode and drove off, leaving the two siblings standing by the side of the road in the dust.

Noah blinked, not having fully processed what just happened. Sunstreaker…just…left them?

"C'mon, No'," Lyra muttered, pushing his back gently as she walked towards the Witwicky house in a huff, their bags swung over her shoulder.

He followed silently, trying to fully grasp what just happened. "Lyra?" he called uncertainly. "He left us?"

"Yes," she nodded, clenching her jaw.

"But," Noah murmured, his eyes welling up with unwanted tears, "isn't he supposed to protect us? Isn't he our Guardian?"

A surge of white hot fury flashed through Lyra, her eyes glowing angrily before she took a deep breath. The anger settled down to a dull irritation as her hand rested upon her younger brother's shoulder, slightly clenched in her annoyance. "No, Noah," she said confidently, giving her brother a sideways glance; "_I'm_ your Gaurdian. _I'll_ protect you, got it?"

He eyed his sister, taking in the flush on her face, the slight downturn in her lips, the blue electrical currents in her eyes, the furrowing of her eyebr—whoa, whoa, whoa! Blue electrical currents? Noah openly gaped at his sister's eyes, seeing but not entirely believing that there were little rivers of _electricity_ dancing through her very _human_ eyes.

"Hey, No'," Lyra said, the electricity being replaced with worry, "are you okay?"

'_Did I really just imagine that?'_ Noah thought as he rubbed at his eyes. "Y-yeah, Ly. I-I'm fine, just a little upset," he stuttered.

"That tin can isn't worth getting upset over, 'kay?" Lyra smiled cutely, ruffling his hair affectionately as they continued to walk through the unfamiliar neighborhood, both subconsciously searching for their favorite Camaro as they read off street names and house numbers.

"I know that," he pouted, crossing his arms of his chest. "But who knows how long it'll take until I can play hide-and-seek!"

* * *

><p>The answer, it turned out was two hours. It took them two hours to find Sam's house, and they were dead tired. In fact, all Noah wanted to do was eat, use the bathroom, and sleep for the next five hours when they arrived.<p>

"Oh, look at you two! Quick, come in! Come in! What are you still doing in the doorway? Sam!"

Judy Witwicky was a rather interesting character, Lyra learned.

"Really, ma'am, there's no need to do so much," she smiled gently, eyeing the mountains of food spread out on the counter. Was that sushi?

"Nonsense!" Judy laughed. "It's not every day Sam brings a pretty girl home!"

"Oh, uh, thank you, ma'am," she looked away in embarrassment, "but you do know Sam already has a girlfriend, right?"

"Ron! Would you get the grill going, please?" the woman yelled, seeming to have not heard her. "And, Sam, would you put the giant alien robot in the garage?! Honestly, men these days. Oh, but I'm sure you'll make sure that cutie of a brother of your turns out alright. No teen pregnancies on _your_ watch, huh?" she laughed.

Lyra laughed along uneasily, wondering where the heck Mikaela was and why she wasn't there to save her from the enigma that was Judy Witwicky.

* * *

><p><strong>Author's Note: Perhaps I can receive forgiveness for not updating in a while? Please? :c<strong>


	15. Ch12 Kisses and Plot Interference

**Author's Note:_ I'm not entirely certain, but I think I wrote this chapter faster than my last one. Maybe? Possibly? Hopefully? _**

**_Uhh…Forgive me?_**

* * *

><p><strong>Warnings: <strong>_Mentions of drug use, prostitution, and gambling. Really, they're just mentions, and I guess I should've put a warning for whenever Sandra's around. Maybe I should go back and do that now…_

* * *

><p><em><strong>Chapter 12<strong>_

* * *

><p><em>Kisses and Plot Interference<em>

* * *

><p>Dinner was peculiar, to say the least. It would appear that both Lyra and Noah had grown accustomed to the icy atmosphere that a family meal brought; however, they realized, supper with the Witwickys was everything they imagined a family supper to be: loving, embarrassing, hilarious… Sam couldn't have been luckier.<p>

Sometime between the actually grilling of the food and sitting down to eat, Mikaela had shown up. She had murmured an excuse of having to help her dad get settled in before promptly squeezing the life out of Lyra. Sam pouted.

"So your boyfriend doesn't get any love?" he asked. Mikaela ignored him.

"So, Lyra, what do you like to do?" Judy asked suddenly.

Lyra nearly choked on the burger she had been scarfing down. Coughing slightly, she held up a hand in a signal to wait, her other hand covering her mouth as she chewed and swallowed quickly.

"I'm sorry, what?"

"Hobbies! What are your hobbies, sweetie?"

Hobbies. Okay. That's totally not random. "Um…" What did she like doing anyway? "I-I'm not sure. Reading?"

"That's it? C'mon! You must like something else. I mean, look at you! You're a beautiful young lady. I'm sure you have the hearts of hundreds of boys, right? Sam, don't you think she's gorgeous?"

Lyra's face started to burn.

"_Mom!_" Sam cried indignantly.

"I-I-I do-don't…wha'?"

"Lyra doesn't date." Noah smiled, almost angelically, at the woman. "I think she's allergic to boys."

"_Noah!_"

"What?" he asked innocently. "You are, aren't you? I mean, every time a boy even looks at you, you run aw—"

"Okay!" Lyra chimed in loudly. "Let's just eat, okay? Okay. Good. This food is delicious, Mrs. Witwicky."

"Don't change the subject, Ly'." Mikaela smirked. "I think we need to discuss this new piece of information."

"No. No, we do not."

"I'd be willing to argue that statement."

"And I'd be willing to defend it."

The two girls stared at each other in silence. Mikaela was trying to be intimidating, but Lyra wasn't deterred as she stared at the ravenette with flat eyes. She wouldn't lose this. She wouldn't give in. No way in Hell.

"What happened to, uh, Sunstreaker, Noah?"

Dammit. _Sam did that on purpose_; Lyra thought darkly as she involuntarily flinched at the name and broke eye contact. Mikaela smirked smugly before facing Noah.

"Dunno." The boy tore at his napkin.

"Is he coming later or something?"

"Or something…"

Bumblebee, who was sitting in the garage with his face in the window closest to the picnic table they were all sat at, whined loudly. Sam's parents jumped.

"I don't get it," Sam said.

"He left," Lyra explained. She sounded way too bitter when she said that.

"What do you mean 'he left'? He's your Gaurdian, isn't he? He can't just leave." Lyra didn't really feel like answering Mikaela's questions.

"He left. He's not. He did." Jeez, what a buzz kill. Who the hell invited Lyra the Frosty Bitch to this dinner?

Judy cleared her throat. "Well, who wants dessert?"

* * *

><p>Sunstreaker's tires were becoming worn down. Perhaps it was time to stop?<p>

…

…

_No way in Pit._

The Autobot was trying to get as far as freakin' possible from Tranquility as he could. If Optimus caught up to him… _Scrap._

He didn't know what it was about that damn human that made him so angry. Well, angrier than usual. But, maybe it wasn't her? Maybe it was Sideswipe. He had been separated from his twin for too long. Maybe seeing how Lyra and Noah interacted…

No. He was not going to think that. There was no way that he would ever admit that he could be…_jealous_…of a human's relationship.

Oh, someone_ please _melt him down and turn him into spare parts.

* * *

><p>Lyra had a new found respect for the psycho ginger that was Sam's mother. Though she didn't really look it, the woman was extremely intuitive. She just seemed to <em>know<em> what it was that Lyra needed at that moment. Though, it had confused her. Romantic comedies and a tub of double fudge brownie ice cream were supposed to help with breakups, weren't they?

"Isn't this nice?" Judy sat on Lyra's left and Mikaela sat on Lyra's right. "Just us three girls together."

"Real nice," Mikaela smiled. It wasn't hard to tell that it was forced, but Judy ignored it.

They sat watching the movie in silence, the only sound they made was the quiet moans of satisfaction that the ice cream elicited from them. Chocolate was amazing.

It wasn't until the protagonist of the movie started making out with her obvious love interest that anything really happened.

Mikaela lazily rolled her head towards Lyra, a mischievous smirk adorning her face. "Have you ever done anything like that, Lyra?"

Judy burst into hysterics. The brunette was trying to sink into the couch, hoping it would miraculously come to life and eat her.

"Wait." Mikaela sat up straight and grinned coyly. "Have you ever even kissed a guy before? On the lips? Hell, on the _cheek_?"

Why? Why couldn't she have ended up in a movie like _Harry Potter_ where she could just vanish if she wanted to? She'd even take _Twilight_ at this moment if it meant she could run away quickly. She didn't like how Mikaela questioned her. As if the thought of not having kissed someone was such a big deal.

"Oh, _God_, you haven't!"

_And there goes the sound barrier_, Lyra thought mournfully.

Judy was laughing maniacally now, her face redder than her hair as she clutched her stomach desperately. Mikaela resembled the Cheshire cat with that stupidstupid_stupid_ grin she wore. And Lyra, well, Lyra was slowly folding in on herself as she tried to hide herself from the Harbingers of Doom.

Surprisingly, Judy was the first one to speak. "I'm sure we can fix your little problem, easy." She winked.

"No!" Lyra exclaimed. Just the thought of them interfering with her life caused a violent shudder to shake her small body. She jumped off the couch, away from the two harpies, and leaned against the far wall defensively. "I d-don't want to fix my pr—I mean, I _don't _have a pr-problem!"

They exchanged amused glances as Lyra looked around frantically for a way to esca—er, get to the bathroom. Yeah, bathroom.

"Of course you don't have a problem, Lyra," Mikaela drawled. "You're just a, what? Sixteen? Seventeen year old whose never been kissed? That's rare."

"Like unicorns." Judy said seriously. She received weird looks from the two teenagers before they decided it wasn't worth questioning.

"Riiight… Anyway, what I was trying to say was that I'm sure you have a perfectly good reason for never even _kissing _a boy on the _cheek_. Wait a minute. Are you gay?"

Lyra choked, coughing and spluttering. "W-wh-_what?!_" She was not expecting that.

"I mean, it's fine if you are. I was gay for, like, three weeks in middle school. I don't discriminate."

"No! No, I am _not_ gay. I just—!" She stopped, pursing her lips. "I'm not gay," she said calmly.

"If you're sure…" Mikaela mused.

"Well! I think it's time I get to bed. Gotta get up before the sun does to work on my garden. G'night, girls!"

"Night, Mrs. Witwicky," they called as the redhead suddenly left them alone.

"That was…" Mikaela trailed off.

"Strange?" Lyra asked. The ravenette nodded.

They were veiled in silence for a few moments before Mikaela pounced on her. There was no way that the girl would let her leave without explaining her actions. Or lack of.

* * *

><p>Optimus was angry. No, if the slow, deep growl that passed through the comlink was anything to go by, he was <em>pissed<em>.

Sunstreaker swerved dangerously on the road as Optimus started to speak in that rage-filled calm he rarely used on anyone but him and his brother. Now that he thought about it that was just unfair. He knew for a fact that the Bossbot enjoyed their pranks.

It seemed as if Optimus knew that Sunstreaker wasn't really paying attention to him because the comlink was surprisingly silent. This did nothing to relax the Lambo. Apprehension started to settle into his bolts as he cruised down a surprisingly empty stretch of Colorado road.

This would've been perfectly bearable for him, but then the paranoia kicked in.

* * *

><p>"Can't we just drop this, 'Kaela?" Lyra whined. She was not enjoying 'girl talk' as much as the ravenette who sat on her stomach was.<p>

Mikaela didn't even pause to think about it. "No." She shifted a bit to get more comfortable, causing a pained groan to escape her prisoner.

"_Stop_," Lyra wheezed desperately.

"You aren't getting out of this, Ly', so just stop trying."

"No," she gasped. "Stop _moving._ I can barely breathe!"

"Oh, sorry," Mikaela apologized sheepishly. She moved once more, but this time so that she was straddling her friend's stomach instead of sitting on it, and rested her hands on Lyra's shoulders so she couldn't fight her off. "Now, why don't we discuss the matter of your love life like the adults that we are?"

"I wasn't aware that adults usually pin each other to the ground to get information out of each other."

"Of course they do. Haven't you ever watched an action movie before?"

"Not really. I prefer staring at inanimate blots of ink on paper."

"Do you also like watching paint dry?"

"Only on the weekends. Too much homework to handle during the week, ya know?"

"Stop stalling and tell me already."

"I can't tell you about something that doesn't exist."

"Then tell me _why_ it doesn't exist. I mean, c'mon, your smart, goodlooking, and witty. Yeah, your confidence could use a bit of a boost, but guys should be eating out of your hands."

"'Goodlooking'? Wait a minute. 'Kaela, are you gay?"

"Did I say 'witty'? I meant to say 'a complete smartass'."

"Well, look at the pot calling the kettle black."

"No, I'm what people would call 'sardonic' or 'hilarious'. You're just 'annoying' and 'obnoxious'."

"Then why are you pinning me to the ground? Isn't this your and Sam's thing?"

"You're doing a pretty good job at avoiding the subject. You must be dreading telling me why you never dated before."

"You sound way too excited."

"I haven't had girl talk since middle school, sue me."

"Really?"

"Oh, don't sound so surprised." Mikaela was annoyed.

"Sorry, I guess. It's just that, well," Lyra shifted awkwardly, "you just seem like the type of person to have a lot of friends to talk about this stuff with…"

"Me? 'Friends'?" Mikaela snorted. "You're probably my only friend right now." She must've noticed Lyra's confusion because she elaborated. "Trent, my ex-boyfriend, was the, uhm, 'popular jock' at the school. Most girls I know are intimidated by me or think I'm a bitch or something—" She started to ramble about all of the possible reasons why girls just didn't like her for a while, and Lyra just watched in quiet amusement. "Anyway, the girls I usually hung out with were the girlfriends of Trent's friends."

"And since you're not dating Trent anymore, I've become your new favorite prisoner to torture," Lyra concluded. She sighed in resignation.

An impish grin appeared on Mikaela's face. "And I'd rather cut off my left hand than let you get away."

"Oh, goodie for me."

"Now," Mikaela leaned closer to Lyra's face so that she was glaring directly into her hazel eyes, "tell me."

The brunette gnawed on her lip anxiously before sighing. "Fine, fine. I never dated because, erm, I guess it's because…"

"'Because'…?"

"Well, it's always just been me and Noah. Dating would just, I don't know, change that? It wouldn't be fair to him."

There was silence between them as Mikaela seemed to be mulling over her reason. "That's stupid."

Lyra rolled her eyes. "Gee, thanks, pal."

"I mean, it's just dating. Why does your kid brother have to be factored into the equation? I'm sure he wouldn't mind it if you got a boyfriend."

"I don't think you understood me, 'Kaela. When I said that it was just me and Noah, I meant that 'it was _just_ me and Noah'. Our parents were never around."

"Oh. That makes more sense now." Awkward silence. "So, where were your parents?"

"Dad was stationed overseas mostly." Lyra shrugged. "My mother, however, was…not around."

"Did she…die, or—?"

"Drugs, mostly. Sometimes it was gambling. I think prostitution, at one point. She didn't like being around us much, and then the divorce happened." It came out nonchalantly, as if they were discussing ice cream flavors. Lyra, however, felt far from nonchalant. Her heart was pounding in her chest at a rapid and violent pace as she tried to ignore the possible consequences of sharing that information.

"Oh."

"Yeah."

"Aren't you staying with your mom now, though?"

"Honestly? I feel like we're just renting a room in exchange for our services as maids."

"Hmm."

"Hmm?"

"Mhmm."

Lyra stared up at Mikaela warily. The girl was just scrutinizing her, and it made her feel extremely vulnerable. What was she looking for? She was about to ask, when there was a loud yelp from the stairwell. They looked over and saw Sam sprawled across the bottom steps, his mouth hanging open as he stared at them.

"W-what's g-goin' on here?" Sam was stammering and blushing madly as he quickly scrambled to get up.

"Hey, Sam," Mikaela smiled calmly as she easily got off of Lyra.

Lyra sat up, readjusting her clothing awkwardly. Her face was surprisingly warm.

"Uhm, di-did I, er, interrupt something?" Sam asked. His brown eyes flitted between the two girls as he took in the brunette's flushed state and rumpled clothing and his girlfriend's completely relaxed state.

"N-no," Lyra stuttered. It was true, and she really had no reason to be a stuttering mess. It was just that her talk with Mikaela had made her feel oddly uncomfortable and awkward and so incredibly innocent. She had never thought that never kissing someone was that big of a deal, but the way Mikaela and Mrs. Witwicky had reacted… Was it? She didn't really think so, but that was mostly because she didn't think that exploring the opposite sex—let alone her own sexuality—was all that important. That didn't stop her from being embarrassed. And her heart was still racing from her confession. She'd never really told anyone before about her home life (though that was mostly because there was never anybody _to_ tell) and wondering how they'd react or what they'd do was extremely frightening.

"Actually, yes," Mikaela contradicted. She smiled at Sam. "I was thinking that maybe Lyra and Noah should move to Tranquility."

"What?" Sam and Lyra chorused.

_WHAT? _Lyra thought.

"It makes sense, right? Since Sunstreaker is AWOL, nobody's watching her and her brother. If she moves, 'Bee can keep an eye on them too."

"Mikaela, you can't just _decide_ for someone to move," Sam protested. "I mean, everyone in her family would be affected. Her parents would need to get closer jobs and find a house nearby…"

"Not if _just_ Lyra and Noah move. They can move in with one of us. Think about it, Lyra could come to school with us and, maybe, get Miles off of our backs," she reasoned, getting closer to Sam as her voice dropped in pitch and volume so that Lyra couldn't hear her last words.

Sam gulped nervously. Licking his lips, he nodded. "Y-yeah. You're r-right," he agreed, his voice cracking.

"Uhm, guys?" They turned to face the brunette who was standing awkwardly next to them. "Thanks for the offer, but I don't think we'd be able t—"

"Just leave it to me, Lyra," Mikaela cut her off. "I'll handle _everything_."

Lyra decided that she didn't like the mechanic's tone of voice.

* * *

><p>He'd said it before, and he'll keep saying it: Sunstreaker <em>hated<em> humans.

A barricade. A fraggin' barricade on a small road surrounded by dirt and rocks and mud and

_grossgrossgross_.

He absolutely hated this planet.

Sunstreaker sped towards the barricade made by numerous black SUVs. He was planning on shifting into his bipedal mode last minute and jumping it, but, then, well, Optimus happened.

He just stood behind the barricade, his arms crossed behind him. His optics were focused on Sunstreaker.

The look itself made Lambo feel like a scolded sparkling.

He hit the brakes abruptly, skidding to stop just before one of the SUVs.

He was in _so _much trouble.

_Slaggit_.

* * *

><p>After Mikaela had somewhat creeped her out with her insistence on 'handling things', Lyra had retreated to the guest room that she and Noah were sharing. The movie they were watching had ended some time ago without their noticing, and she honestly couldn't have cared less.<p>

Lyra tried to slip into bed without rousing her brother from his sleep, but he was already awake. She didn't know this until she turned over and saw him staring at the ceiling tiredly.

"Counting the cracks in the paint?" Lyra teased quietly as she played with his sandy hair. It was soft to the touch, and she absolutely loved threading her fingers through it.

They lied in silence for a while, the chirp of crickets outside and their slow breathing the only noise heard. Noah had long since shut his eyes by the time one of them spoke.

His voice was quiet, so quiet that it was barely distinguishable between actually speaking and just breathing. "What are we gonna do, Ly'?" he asked.

She responded equally as quiet. "What d'ya mean?"

"We have the knowledge to help so many people… Will we?"

"My only concern is helping you, No'. If anyone knew what we knew, what _you_ knew—I'm not going to jeopardize your safety like that."

"But, Ly'," Noah sighed. "I don't want anyone to die."

"Who's going to die, sweetie?" She pulled him close to her, hugging his back to her chest and resting her head on his pillow slightly above him.

His arms tightened around her forearms. "Optimus, Ironhide… Sunstreaker was never in the movies. Maybe he came to Earth but never surv—"

"Shh," Lyra hushed him. "Optimus came back, I think, and Ironhide's death isn't for a long time. Sunny, well, h-he'll be fine."

"How do you know? He's gone."

"I just do, No'. Just trust me."

"But, Ly'," Noah turned around in her arms and looked at her seriously, "you hate, Sunstreaker."

She sighed, brushing his hair back and out of his face. "I don't," she scrunched her nose up, "_hate_ him, exactly. He's just really, _really_, annoying. I don't like him."

Noah examined her seriously for a minute before a teasing grin appeared on his face. "That's right~!" he sang, much louder than they were previously speaking. "You don't like him, you _lurve him_~!"

"Oh, shut it." Lyra laughed, hitting him in the face with a pillow.

* * *

><p><strong>Author's Note: Noah is clearly Team SunnyLyra. Team SunRa. Oh, that's cute 'cause Ra's the Sun God~ ^^ **

**Anyway, sorry for the wait, and I'm also sorry that I can't guarantee a more recent update…**

**And this chapter was a bit different since I felt kinda weird and felt like writing differently. So scene changes and dialogue galore! I've actually been trying my hand at telling parts of a story through dialogue ever since I read **_**Ender's Game**_**, but I'm not sure I did a good job. I tried to show Lyra/Mikaela bonding time. ^^  
><strong>

**Anyway, Review!**


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